The Robin's Nest Poem by John Carter Brown

We had a little robin's nest
inside our little tree,
the eggs were laid but I'm afraid
it wasn't meant to be;
for unbeknownst to anyone
a feline foe lay hid,
waiting with a cold-eyed stare
until he, evil did.

Things were going smoothly -
the mother on the nest
the father feeding faithfully
doing his very best;
then eggs were hatched, and parents
were feeding little chicks
hidden in the conifer
amongst the moss and sticks.

The morning of discovery
broke sunny, clear and calm,
but silence in the garden
proved suspicion and alarm;
no sign of either robin
flitting in and out,
no cheeping from the conifer
or sign of feline lout.

But evidence a' plenty
was plainly to be seen,
the entrance to the nest
much wider than it should have been;
and opposite the 'legal' hole
a few more of the same,
proof the cat had been at work
upon his murderous game.

But any gory details
to the reader I can spare,
for nothing now remains
of robin's nest that once was there;
the chicks are gone, what's done is done
I only hope and pray
both parents did survive
to breed again another day.

(Written May 2016)