My Lory Bird Poem by Gert Strydom

I had a baby grey Lory
that the dogs tried to catch
and treated it as a pet.

As the bird
grew and became tame,
I started to love it
and it also loved me.

When it heard me come near
or saw me
it called joyously and its crest
went up and down,

It was my desire to give the Lory freedom
when it was properly raised
and I wondered if it would be able
to exist on its own.

One day my bird was ill
and it waited on me
to come home
and before I could get it
to a vet
it gave a last goodbye
and died

I knew
that no other bird
or animal,
would get that Lory’s
place in my heart.