Second Chance

Nestled in forest
Find our treehouse
Spring freshly awoke
Newborn flowers woven
Into the vines of the wreath
Whereby sat a little plump nest
Whereby sat four plump blue eggs
With tender hands we moved the wreath
To the side where they hatched and grew alike

And after one long night in the moist spring air
Crispy waffles and steaming hot chocolate
Perched merrily on the windowside table
Discreetly we dropped a few crumbs
Of waffles upon the feathered abyss
Two hefty gulps of lukewarm cocoa
Followed in suit on the robins
Later I found from my father
That the mother may
Abandon them

Due to their
Foreign scent
At the next dawn
Sun soaring so high
Four little birds set out
To fly although as I trekked
Through the winding path and
Came across their clumpy nest
I thought they'd all been abandoned
Of course I thought it was all my fault
My father told me no, no, they'd fledged
Through my gasping wallows of wet weeps

It's okay was what he said until the truth
Came out instead of one young bird
Dropped on the forest floor was
Merely dead inevitably dead
While perhaps it was weak
And failed to fledge I
Know better for it
Was my fault

In my defense
My weakened defense
At the time I didn't know
Yes I considered but I found
Why not pour the hot cocoa
Naively like what could go wrong
Three fledged fortunately although
I'm not quite sure how and I will never be

A few mere days ago or perhaps a whole week
Behind the garage my father found something
New twas a nest of three plump blue eggs
Wriggling and cracking and hatching
Before my eyes and I thought
This time I know for this time
I won't douse them in cocoa
Inevitably I'll make a few
Mistakes from now on
But initially I was
So sorry

Ever so
Sorry and
I drowned
In my own tears
And I wished if I
Could turn back time
I would have only peered
And left them alone with the rest
I can't turn back time but all I can do
Is hope and wish and feel sorry and know
I can learn and understand in order to grow
And in doing so the universe has granted me
The greatest gift I could ever ask could ever wish for

They hatched and they fledged undisturbed
Beautifully and called out days after
A thank you for my kindness
My quietness in watching
Them grow but instead I
Thanked them for their
Irreplaceable great gift
Of a second chance.