THERE ONCE WAS A BIRDY

by Sydney Darnell
(Inland Empire)

There once was a birdie
Whose nickname was Girdie
She lived in a nest high up in a tree;

She baked wormy dishes
That were so delicious
She devoured them at mealtimes, snack times and tea.

Her legs grew much bigger
And so did her figure
As the gilded years swiftly flew by;

She sat in her nest
Trying her very best
To understand her loneliness and not cry.

Girdie was a sweet bird
But not a very neat bird
Her home and her mind were a mess;

She flapped her fat wings
Tried all sorts of things
To get out from under the stress.

At first she stopped cooking
And then began looking
Sylphlike and finer each day;

But poor little Girdie
Was so sloppy and dirty
Not one bird would stop in to play.


One day a mocking bird
Got wind of a rumored word
That Girdie the birdie was blue;

No lass should be single
Perhaps they might mingle
That is if she gave him the right clue.


He flew by her dirty place
Caught sight of her pretty face
Peering over her nest in the sky;

Girdie cagily blinked at him
Before she openly winked at him
Then asked if he would like worm crusted pie.

"I do like to eat things
Especially sweet things
But not from nests cluttered with stuff;"

The mocking bird mocked her
Until he had shocked her
He wished he did not have to come across so gruff.

He soon put an end to strife
So that Girdie would be his wife
Although his frankness was oft times bold;

The mocking bird played his hunch
Intent on having worm pie for lunch
But not before Girdie's changes took hold.

She suitably cleaned for him
Oh, how she preened for him
Her nest was a pleasure so clean and so nice;

All of the other birds
Soon had to eat their words
Unconditional love had come with a price.

Girdie the neat birdie
No longer sloppy and dirty
Opened a small café so patrons could fly in and dine;

Mocking bird hired a lively band
The best one in all birdie-land
Large and small creatures happily waited in line.

Cafeteria style
Food served with a smile
Gourmet dishes bon appetite;


Some worms were basted
No dish was seen wasted
Beaks chirped happily into the night.

In time with no string attached
Some baby birds quickly hatched
Each fledgling assigned a special chore;

Girdie loved each birdie baby
Mocking Bird thought just maybe
As a family they could be much larger than four.

It is so easy to see
Why each bird must be free
To choose the life it will live;

And if you're like Girdie
A warmhearted birdie
You will receive in kind that which you give.

Of course there is Mocking Bird
Who likes to repeat every word
Of the fated day Gertie had entered his life;

He will tell how he watched her grow
Becoming more lovely from head to toe
As soon as she began to let go of her strife.

Today Gertie is a balanced soul
Who has fun playing any role
Wormy dishes, is what she does best;

They are so delicious
So incredibly nutritious
They are now franchised up north on the eastside and west.

Girdie still cooks wormie dishes
That are so downright delicious
Her family and friends fly in for tea;

They all eat together
In all sorts of weather
And each creature is well-groomed like you and like me.


Now, down south is another story
About a yellow frog named Morry
Whose lessons are different from Girdie's;

Find yourself a quiet place
And try to focus on a different race
And we'll tell you about frogs and not birdies.