A Quiet Nest
Listen to Carol read her poem ...
Above
the pathway
near the top of
the highest pine,
balanced on a bending
branch,
sits Jed,
sits Oodie.
Below, the back-packed ones hunker their way
to a day of books
and tablets,
gyms and playgrounds,
hooting like Barred Owls, chattering like grey squirrels deep in the forest.
Jed and Oodie have a nestful of young ones. “It’s too LOUD!” yells Jed.
“Too noisy!” bellows Oodie.
The Heron babies squawk.
The Heron babies screech.
“We may have to move,” says Jed.
Below, Jaxon unzips his backpack, pulls out sticks and a long shiny ribbon the colour of a sleepy sunset.
He stakes. He wraps. He prints big letters on a sign.
“Shhhhh!
Great Blue
Herons nesting.
Go around, please.
Go around.”
“It’s quieter” says Jed. “Much quieter,” agrees Oodie. The babies fall asleep. But, oh, how they snore!
the pathway
near the top of
the highest pine,
balanced on a bending
branch,
sits Jed,
sits Oodie.
Below, the back-packed ones hunker their way
to a day of books
and tablets,
gyms and playgrounds,
hooting like Barred Owls, chattering like grey squirrels deep in the forest.
Jed and Oodie have a nestful of young ones. “It’s too LOUD!” yells Jed.
“Too noisy!” bellows Oodie.
The Heron babies squawk.
The Heron babies screech.
“We may have to move,” says Jed.
Below, Jaxon unzips his backpack, pulls out sticks and a long shiny ribbon the colour of a sleepy sunset.
He stakes. He wraps. He prints big letters on a sign.
“Shhhhh!
Great Blue
Herons nesting.
Go around, please.
Go around.”
“It’s quieter” says Jed. “Much quieter,” agrees Oodie. The babies fall asleep. But, oh, how they snore!
This poem is copyright (©) Carol L. MacKay 2024
About the Writer
Carol L. MacKay
Carol is a Canadian writer, living near beach and forest on Vancouver Island. Her stories and poems for children appear frequently in children’s magazines, most recently in The Caterpillar, Highlights, Cricket, Ladybug, High Five and Babybug. Carol loves to write nature poems. In 2020, she was awarded the Society of Children’s Book Authors & Illustrators (SCBWI) Magazine Merit Award for Poetry.
