Imagine the Possibilities

It’s Poetry Friday! Margaret has the roundup today at Reflections on the Teche where she treats us to three beautiful poems. Chickadees have been on her mind as well.

I’ve always been curious about the staying birds in winter. Cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, and others continue to gather at the feeder when the weather turns cold, but how do they stay warm? In my research for a picture book idea, I discovered that many of the birds’ strategies are similar to what we humans do when we want to stay warm. Birds huddle close, fluff their feathers to trap air like we do inside our winter coats, eat more, and hunker down. So, when the prompt this week from my poetry group, the Nevermores, was to write a poem of advice, I chose the chickadee to offer some insight on how to stay warm. Did you know chickadees have very good memories? In the fall they cache thousands of seeds and insects, then remember where each one is!

Stay Warm! Advice from Chickadee

When chilly winter winds blow through,
here’s what you can do:
Don a coat with fluffy down,
zip it to the top!
Trap air inside,
warm it up,
keep it close to you.
Find a friend (or two or three)
and build a blanket fort, or
cuddle on a chair or couch
and share some silly jokes.
Pilfer from your stash of snacks,
hunker down and then…
remember spring will bring the warm
you might be dreaming of.

I also wanted to give a shoutout to those who sent me New Year’s greetings that arrived after I posted a few weeks ago. Thanks Margaret, Diane, Tricia, Buffy, Jone, and Marcie for your lovely cards, poems, and wishes.