~ Poetry ~
For My Beloved Sugar
I didn’t know that you screamed
Not to make my life miserable
But just to let me know where you are
So I could find my way back to you.
I didn’t know that I should talk to you
Just like you were a person
And that you would respond in kind
With joy, with passion and with love
I didn’t know that you needed to eat
All the foods that would make me healthy
And by doing so
We would have that much more time to be together.
I didn’t know that you needed to be touched
As much as I needed to breathe
And calm would settle over both of us
With each gentle stroke of my hand.
I didn’t know how many toys you would need
To help with your physical, emotional and intellectual well-being
Or how wonderful it would sound in the morning
To hear “Hi, Baby Pea”.
I didn’t know that you would love to sing and dance
But only FOR me and with me.
That your off key song
Would touch my soul like no other singer ever could.
What I do know is that in the one year
Since you came into my life
You have become the centre of my world
And made me a better human being.
So Sugar, I just want to say
I’m sorry for all the things I’ve done this past year
That confused and frightened you, because I really didn’t know
And I love you, too, Baby Pea.
...
I used to have money
Then I got you
A little white bird
They call a Too.
Wood in my cupboards
Holes in my dresses
Perfect to chew on
And clean up your messes
Mash in my freezer
Poop down my butt
No room for nothing
Cept her Happy Hut
I used to have money
But then I was blue
Now I have laughter
Because of my Too.
Psitticine Oxymorons
1. Parrots and Clean Clothes
2. Parrots and Hot Meals
3. Parrots and Quiet
4. Parrots and a Clean House
5. Parrots and New Clothes
6. Parrots and Jewellery
7. Parrots and Obedience
8. Parrots and $65 bed sheets
9. Parrots and Free Time
10. Parrots and Money
Who Will Pray for Me
I helped you find a brand new life
My devotion plain to see;
And in return you showed your love
Another home you found for me.
And then you wonder why I do
All the things I do
Biting, plucking, screaming
My pain just bursting through.
My soul I gave you gladly
I wear it on my wing
Talk is cheap for humans
And all the pain they bring.
I gave you all, you gave me naught
You should have let me be
And now my heart is empty
Of the love I gave so free.
When your world was upside down
I loved you most of all,
And how did you repay me
You set me up to fall.
My heart does bleed for what I lost
My love I cannot hide
You gave me to another
Yet I will love you til I die.
When I finally reach the Rainbow Bridge
And all the peace it brings
Your memory shall be cradled
Gently neath my wing.
Sally Ann - CAG
That slow methodical climb down her cage. Headfirst. Halfway down, no footholds. So she moves a little to her left, grabs the tray with her beak and dangles, looking for a toehold. No such luck. So she moves a little farther to the left and tries again. Finally, she moves right over to the end of the cage where she discovers there is a pole that will take her to her destination - the floor. Upon reaching it, she straightens herself out and then waddles over to the kitchen door and stops, just outside the entrance. Tilts her head sideways and looks at me as if to say “OK, I’ll be off now” and then proceeds to walk around the corner. A long 10 seconds later she appeared at the other entrance to the kitchen. Stood once again, but this time staring at me as if to say “I’m back now. Did you miss me”?
My Sally - what an adventuress she has become!!!!!
I wrote this when Sally was a baby. Very descriptive. I can see her doing that all over again. She doesn't do this anymore because she is flighted.
A Week-end with Too (2)
I finish work at 4 pm on Friday. It takes me an hour to get home but every Friday I go to the mall for an hour to unwind before my weekend begins. I usually get in the door at 6 pm. The first thing I do is let Sally and Zazu out of their cages. I put Sally on the Parrot Tower. I then take the food and water dishes out of the cages and wash them, give Sally and Zazu fresh water and food. While the dishes are soaking, I remove the newspaper on the floor in front of the cages. Then I go get the trays for their sleeping cages and dump the soiled newspaper and paper towel. The paper towel is to let me know if there are any changes in their poop which is really important. After all trays have been removed (4 of them) I wash them in the tub and then let them dry. Next all cages must be vacuumed and then sprayed with a disinfectant (Oxyfresh) to clean. I rotate toys at this time. So it takes me 3-4 hours every Friday night just to clean the cages of my 2 birds.
On Saturday morning, I get up and clean Sally’s Parrot Tower. This takes about 1 hour. Then I do my housework which usually takes anywhere from 4-6 hours depending on what needs to be done. Time is also spent cleaning out air filters (I have 2). One is for the sleeping room and the other is between the cages. At least once a month the filters need to be washed and the machines wiped down. During the winter months, I also have the added task of cleaning out 2 humidifiers. One is warm mist for the sleeping room and the other is a big console type for the living room. There is also a dual spectrum light sitting about 2 feet from Sally’s cage. The cords on all these appliances have been changed at least once because Sally likes to chew electrical cords. I have not learned of any way to avoid this happening. I also sprout organic seeds in the winter time for them to eat as produce in Canada during the winter months is not optimal as it comes from the US or Central America. Now while I am doing all this, Zazu and Sally are not merely sitting quietly on their perches. They are trying every possible maneuver to get my attention. Sally’s favourite attention getter is to fly to the fridge, grab my dual baking timer and drop it in the middle of the living room. Zazu yells. At everything.
You would think that Sunday would be my day of rest. Sunday is reserved for showering Zazu and Sally. After they have both been showered, it is time to get dressed and go grocery shopping. This is when I buy the fruits and vegetables that I will need for them for the week. When I get home, this produce must be washed in the juice of one lemon and salt to remove as much of the pesticides as possible. I buy organic when it is available and fresh which is not too often. So I usually get finished at 6 pm. I then look around at all the work I’ve done in the past three days and the only thing I can think of is exactly how many people live here anyway because the place is a mess. There are pellets on the floor, dried broccoli, nuts and anything else Zazu and Sally deem worthy of throwing which by the way is anything they can get their beaks on. At 7 pm, I settle down to relax in my $900 lounger which Sally has confiscated as the birdie toilet. At 8:30 pm, they get a bedtime snack. I put them to bed at 9 pm and then I have one whole hour for myself. Too bad the mall is closed.
And that folks is a weekend with 2 parrots. One goffin and one African grey. The workload is never lighter. If anything, it gets heavier. Pomegranate season is pretty rough. Ever seen pomegranate wallpaper? It’s not a pretty sight.
So now that you’ve seen what every weekend is like with 2 parrots, are you sure you still want one?
Musings
1. Oh look, a pellet patch underneath Zazu’s cage. I try to buy organic wherever I can; yet Zazu likes to eat the pellets that she has knocked out of her dish and onto the floor.
2. The fridge is not a good place for magnets when said fridge becomes a favourite perch.
3. Apparently cordless phones and TV remotes are not supposed to have buttons. Ask any parrot.
4. If you bring something new into the house and it is not locked in a safe with a 24 hour security guard, there is not a chance in hell that it will remain untouched. Parrots hate perfection. This is a very serious rule in the parrot world.
5. If you have parrots and you change into clean clothes, you have approximately a 3 second window before one poops down your back. Any longer than that is a miracle. Be thankful!
6. If you have something you value highly and wish it to remain unscathed, hang it in the cage as if it were a new toy. The same cannot be said for $120 sandals left unattended in the hallway, on the floor.
7. Pomegranate should be given the day before you clean, not the day after. This needs no explanation.
Do Bird People Ever Agree on Anything?
1. Do bird people ever agree on anything?
2. What is the best bird?
3. What is the best cage?
4. What is the best lighting?
5. What is the best food?
6. What is the best bird toy?
7. What is the best play stand?
8. What is the best mash?
9. What is the best bird chat?
10. Do bird people EVER agree on anything?
©2004 by Beverley Penny
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