In the misty English rain
of a late Essex afternoon
the robin sang his piercing
melodies on the high wall
near the kitchen door.
From the back step I watched him
standing near twisty knots of ivy
singing, singing, singing.
My landlady said he was staking
his territorial claim for his mate
in their next inside the hummocky
maze of thick woody tendrils
cowling the high stone wall.
She worried that a cat would catch them
or the fox seen by neighbours
scaling our garden wall at 3 am.
Robin had a bright orange breast,
a white belly, a tail pointing
straight up behind him with
subdued brown head and back.
He reminded me of the little fantail
of similar size and colouring
back in my home country.
Little piwakawaka calls shrilly
unafraid of nearby humans as he
searches for tasty insects, his tail fans
out as he hops from branch to branch.
I saw and heard robin only the once,
for a month later my work ran out
and I had to return home.
half round the world
back to the home of the fantail.
Previously posted January 2016.
Robins follow gardeners, coming up very close. However, this year we are being followed in our garden by baby blackbirds…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow ! What does that say ? I hope your robins come back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure that they will…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Little Piwakawaka. I love that name for a bird! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. It is the indigenous Maori name for them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I look forward to learning more Maori words. ☺
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. “Weta” – my previous post – is also a Maori word. Weta are found only in New Zealand.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I saw your post and wondered what Weta was, but I didn’t have the time just then to enquire further. I’ve just googled it. It’s amazing … a bit like our woodlouse (u.k.), but with huge legs. I’ll make a point of learning more about them as insects are one of my main interests. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you !
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw and heard robin only the once… – a line that saddens me. —CC
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. My landlady was very concerned that a local cat would get him and his mate. However I did not often stand at the kitchen door into the garden that winter, so I may have missed him at other times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A somber and appropriate denouement. —CC
LikeLiked by 1 person