Poetry Month: Summer Guest 30 of 30

I thought you weren't coming this year,
but today I spotted you,
soaring beneath the sky
wings outstretched
circling above the roof
before descending
into the chimney.

You must be busy in there
building your nest,
cementing sticks to the brick walls,
knowing soon
babies will come.
This nest will keep you safe
through summer.

Chimney swift,
I will watch you
as you sail through the sky
at sunset
searching for insects:
bees, mosquitoes, flies,
for your evening snack.

I will watch
as you glide in the sky above
gracefully swooping
for hours as the sun crosses
from east to west.
You are happy to have returned
to your summer home.

© Cathy L. Mere, 2015


Each year, as spring moves toward summer, our chimney is visited by swifts looking for a summer home.  I'm not a big fan of having birds sharing our home, but it is something I have grown used to in the years since we have moved here.  Our house was built some time ago, and without a metal cover on our chimney, swifts love to set up a home.  I'm used to the cycle.  Every year I think they aren't coming and then one day I hear it, the furious flapping of wings and the chitter chatter of nighttime conversations.   Apparently, they are on the decline due to loss of habitat.  Perhaps we are doing our part for the ecosystem by tolerating their preference for nesting in our chimney.  

It's April and National Poetry Month.  I'm writing a poem every day to help celebrate!  Thanks to Margaret Simon, Leigh Anne Eck, Michelle Haseltine, Linda Baie, Julieanne Harmatz, and Kevin Hodgson for giving the final push.  We are linking using the hashtag #digipoetry.  I have to also thank my everyday poetry mentors Mary Lee Hahn & Amy Ludwig Vanderwater.  They continually inspire me.  You'll find more poetry on the sidebar.