The Hoopoe Poem by Gert Strydom

Every time that I mow the lawn
he waits in a tree
on me to finish
and there are times
that he gets impatient
and his hoopoe resounds.

Just when I walk away
he flies fluttering down
and pecks everywhere
to get worms
and insects

and I see his orange brown quiff
standing up
and it’s as if his body
glows shimmering orange

and there are black and white stripes
going to the points
of his wings
while like a woodpecker
he hits his bill
here and there into the ground

and like a chicken
pecking up seed
picks up insects from the ground.