What I Learned During the Girls’ Naps

Yesterday,
Sitting on the patio
During the girls’ naps,
I learned that
I don’t have to sit long
Or even very still
Before the birds forget I’m there.
I wasn’t even trying to be quiet,
But I must have been quiet enough,
Turning pages and sipping water.
The birds sparrowed out of the sky.
Chickadeed around the concrete.
Robined in the birdbath.
Grackled at each other.
They let me study their oddness,
Or, I suppose, they were indifferent to me
Until one or all sensed
My toothed mouth,
My earthbound feet,
My unfeathered skin,
And they all flew away.