Vast lawns sprawl before them,
thick and juicy after summer rains,
but a dozen white, feathered diners
have chosen a five-yard square
to display their gluttonous intentions.
Their choice is lost in avian mystery –
how they flap aloft serenely,
scanning all the while for some gustatory
clue. A color, shape, movement,
something signals food upon the table.
They swoop in and set to work,
heads bobbing like rivet guns,
meticulous as a forensic team.
Their departure is sudden and collective,
leaving no scraps, no dirty dishes.
