Often mistaken
For titmouse or chickadee,
Phoebes gather
At the onset of winter,
Petite Dianas,
Unassuming hunters,
Peck at what’s left.
They could be nervous,
Gray mice rummaging,
Inconspicuous
(Ostentation is for the jay),
Their rare tiffs,
Inconsequential,
Tiny agendas,
Succinct missives,
An impalpable existence:
Beautiful. Don’t touch them!
Despite inclinations
For lumbering metaphor,
Clever invention,
Your oily gears.
