Sunday, April 1, 2012

Magpie Tales 111: Grandma Tried To Warn Me





empty nest 



never could wrap my head around 

tree hugging,  those activist glory days

so dope-fueled with ideals;  the Long-hairs

and their Chickie-LaLa's singing songs of whales,

saving snail darters,  and sleeping under the trees. 



my grandmother warned me about mite bites, 

those birdie bed bugs that parasitize man and fowl: 


"throw that damn nest away, boy, before you 

get eaten alive!" 


Poem © 2012  R. Burnett Baker 
Photo by Robert ParkeHarrison, shared by Tess Kincaid



12 comments:

  1. ha i like the second part much...and how your gramma's wisdom plays in the first...guess i am a bit of a tree hugger though...

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  2. Grannie's got the goods..pay attention! Love your take on this..so original..

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  3. That’s a very different take. I dread to think what size the bugs would be! The stuff of nightmares.

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  4. my mother said the same thing to me....who always brought home something....icky to my mom
    This was delightful....

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  5. Excellent words - and granny was no doubt right?

    Anna :o]

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  6. Watch it! I'm one of those 60s hippie activists you write of AND I live in the tree hugging state of Oregon .... loved your Mag!

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  7. We are all dope-fueled with ideals...nice.

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  8. Your mother sounds like quite the character! I lost both my nanas. :(

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  9. Well Nyl, mine passed in 1998 at the age of 92!

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