They call her Milly
next door,
but we think Milly
is rather silly.
She’ll always be
Miss P to us.
They knocked
round lunchtime yesterday
excited
‘Milly’s back
and guess what? ’
We crept up the path
(tinder dry after summer heat)
and spied her
wandering casually
and maternally
among the dead azaleas
with three young chicks
in tow -
Joy of joys!
(we thought she'd flown) .
We watched
enchanted
as they wolfed
the crumbs of bread -
hungry it would seem
and completely at peace
with their world.
We spoke about
‘last year’
and the lone chick
who lingered… not long enough.
And shared a prayer
that the cats,
the kookaburras
and the currawongs
might leave them alone this time.