Charlie

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Pets and Animals

Charlie

Every now and then I look into my photo chest,

And find a pic or two or three, and loneliness has rest.

The laughing boyish faces of the three who are my sons,

The mundane things of daily life that now seem precious ones.

Each time I open up that box I find a glad respite.

A snip in time now frozen, my joy explodes in flight.

One lime green feather always finds a way to float to floor.

I put it there myself when Charlie lost it as he soared.

Now Charlie was our Love Bird, so aptly, surely named.

A Christmas gift to eldest son, we all loved him the same.

He was a most unusual bird and won our hearts away.

We got him as a little chick.  I'll ne'er forget the day.

He had a vicious bite that made me cringe with dread of pain,

But  just one day of holding him and he never bit again.

He didn't like to stay caged up, so he learned the art, "Escape".

I'd hear a fluttering of wings and just stand still and wait.

Whooosh, he'd sweep into the room and circle it a bit.

Then he'd perch upon my head and there that bird would sit.

He had a shrill and probing shriek that pierced my eardrums through,

But Charlie roamed the whole big house as chasing me he flew.

He swooped each room and down the hall until he found me there,

Then shrilling admonitions he landed in my hair.

We all would watch to keep him caged so he could not get hurt.

But Charlie loved to spring that door, and such a tiny squirt.

His favorite thing was sailing in and landing on the fan.

With wings outstretched he glided round, a fan blade as his stand.

Once he escaped and no one knew and into room he sailed.

He flew into that ceiling fan and then old Charlie bailed.

The fan was on!  And he was flung against the frontporch wall.

Charlie, flustered, shook himself then tweeked and peeped and balled!

He lived a long time after that and still he loved that fan,

But that's the day Our Charlie lost the feather in my hand.

I think of him so many times when I see T.V. stunts.

Sweet Charlie was much braver far, an independent runt.

It's funny how the pets we love stay hidden in our minds,

Then at the time we need it most they bring their own sunshine.