If

On cold winter days

mom would send you out to play

you would watch the birds shiver

on phone lines and thought maybe they

gathered local gossip through their feet

Hardly anyone has a landline anymore

birds now shiver on cable TV lines

you wonder if they prefer ESPN

the Cartoon Network or cable news

and if they get HBO for free

If birds had fur instead of feathers

cuddled on your lap, purred and

looked cute in photos on social media

they’d receive free medical, room and board

and wouldn’t shiver outside in the cold

1-25-20