The Bird Who Spoke To Me
A flock of geese flew past our house followed by a group of grouse
Not far behind a bird of prey swooped and chased the birds away
The bird of prey dropped to the ground and laid an egg without a sound
When suddenly a fierce wind came, and the bird of prey flew off again.
We bought the mighty egg indoors safe from all the vermin claws
The prying beady eyes of rats narrowed as they missed their catch
We kept it warm we kept it dry until we heard a scratching cry
And from the egg we saw emerge the astonishing Curly Whirly Bird.
As it grew it learned to curl with long eyelashes that could unfurl
And stretch and nearly reach its tail and now it’s learning how to wail.
Then one evening during dinner we gave the Bird a cooked fish finger
But the Curly Bird sat up and spoke ‘this odd dish has made me choke.’
Well, we nearly all fell off our chairs as the Curly Whirly Bird declared,
In simply perfect English tones ‘I would like a fish that has some bones.’
I didn’t know the Bird could speak and thought he could only squeak
But now it’s clear that he can chat and believe it or not, talk to the cat.
At night it would debate with bats, ‘what tasted better, flies or gnats?’
At bedtime I tried not to peep when he whistled tunes to make me sleep.
The Bird became good friends with me and now he’s learning how to read
He started with the ABC and nature programmes on tv.
Every morning the Bird would sit and learn new stories bit by bit
We would share my eggs on toast and soon became extremely close.
I always went to school by bus, but the good Bird never made a fuss
He sat on top with folded wings learning songs he loved to sing.
The children sang their nursery rhymes as the musical Bird tapped in time
Quite soon he knew them line by line and even taught himself to mime
One day my teacher Mrs Tidy asked the Bird to sit beside me,
She scratched a blackboard using chalk which made our Bird give out a squawk
‘I recognise that sound,’ he said as his beak brushed past my head
‘It’s a happy note when I am fed, a plate with lots of jam and bread.’
The Curly Whirly Bird and I, would often talk about the sky.
One day when he took my hand, he said he couldn’t live on land
Sometimes I would watch him stare at planes flying through the air
There were days when I heard him sigh how much he’d like to be so high.
And when I turned eight, he said to me he really wanted to be free
He was sure he would return and thanked me for all he’d learned.
So, on my birthday during May our special bird got up to say,
That time had come to fly away but promised he’d come back one day.
Somehow, I managed not to cry as he looked me in the eye
‘Don’t be upset you can be sure our special friendship will endure.’
Looking at the clouds he pointed, ‘Just be brave not disappointed
On this I say you can depend, that I will always be your friend.’
From my window I saw him fly, his marvellous wings against the sky
The Bird had gone and on my own, deep down I felt so all alone.
I’ll miss the songs we used to sing, the magic times that he would bring.
When I lay down to go to bed this is what he always said,
‘When you sleep and when you dream think of sweets and crispy creams
These are precious days I give you and memories for you to cling to.’
The Curly Bird beyond the seas built his nest in tall oak trees
Where he called out to other birds telling tales in songs and words,
About the life when he was young and the many rhymes he had sung
And a special friend he used to see, ‘an astonishing boy who spoke to me.’
I wait each night and scan the sky in case the Bird comes flying by,
In my dreams I hear him sing and only wish that I could cling
On to his back to see the world, as his curly whirly tail unfurled.
It makes me feel so excited to think that we may be re-united.
So every day I stop and stare and hope the Curly Bird is there
Keeping his promise as he said he would to come and see me when he could
But I never saw him and never heard what happened to the Curly Bird
Perhaps he looks for someone new and if you're lucky it could be you.