Photo by, Olan L. Smith
Mrs. Owl
©2012, Olan L. Smith (edited 2017)
Mother, I cried today because I thought you did not love me.
I sat my tiny frame on the stoop and wailed to whomever,
"Oh, woe is me!" I walked to a nearby pond and sat beside an elm tree,
Tall and large that offered shade. An owl swooped and landed on a bough
Above my head and chimed, "Whooo, whooo are yooou?
Whooo cries beneath my tree so tall and broad?"
Gazing up I spy a hoot owl peering down and answer,
"It is I who is bawling beneath your glowing orbs
Of wisdom." The wind blew warm and dried my tear
And a smile came across my face for I was speaking
To a bird, an unimaginable thought a moment prior.
"My, my..." said wise owl. "I thought you were a spike of cotton
So white is your towhead. Why do you sob so?"
I sniffled and wiped away the last tear and rejoined, "Cause, no one
Loves me that is why I blubber. Not even my mother
Cares a whit about my welfare. She punished me for
Breaking the cookie jar and it was an accident; I swear."
"I see," said the owl. "You still dwell in a nest with those other two
Rascals you call siblings who scramble about to and fro lobbing BB's at me.
I take it you were hungry?"
"Well, not exactly. I wanted one of her chocolate chipped cookies but
I am too short and when I reached up and slid my hand in,
Well, I lost balance and the jar shattered smithereens upon the floor.
It made such a thunderous noise; it scared me. Then my mom hollered at me
And then I cried and now here I am talking to a bird."
"I see, you think your mother doesn't love you because
You broke a jar, and now you think she has driven you nuts
Because you're talking to me, Mrs. Owl. We owls and human care
For our young differently; you do understand little man.
Instead of cookies we regurgitate our last meal and give
It to our chicks. I am afraid I can't afford to feed a child
As large as you and when our young grow feathers we
Kick them out of the nest. It is either fly or die; no cookies you see.
Would you like to trade places with one of my chicks?
I will fly one of mine to your house for your family to rear
And as soon as you grow feathers I will teach you how to fly."
I thought for a second and said, "Nope. I think
I will stick with my Mom and Dad, but thanks for the offer, Mrs. Owl."
She hooted, "Oh, so your mother isn't so bad after all?"
I turn my head back toward home and replied,
"Nope, I think I will be just fine, thank you."
Then the owl said, "Whooo, whooo, whooo is that?"
"It must be my Mom looking for me, where is she?
I can't see her from down here," I replied.
Mrs. Owl answers with a hoot, "Put your head to the wind and walk
Over the hill. She is sitting on a stump and I think she is crying."
"Oh no, I must go to her. See you later Mrs. Owl." I
Turned my head to the wind and scurried up the hill and
Sure enough my mother was sitting on a stump.
I hugged her hard and long and said,
"Mom, I am so sorry I broke the cookie jar. I love you
So much! I was just down by the pond and pondering
Life, that's all. You never guess who I was talking, too."
She said, "You were talking to Mrs. Who."
ESTÁS LEYENDO
Older Poems from the Pen of Olan L. Smith
PoetryThis collection is a gathering of most of my older poems, both published and unpublished, making it easier to find my poetry.