Listen to some poems from TODAY AT THE BLUEBIRD CAFÉ, if you like. They were recorded by my wise and wonderful granddaughters, Charlotte and Kate. To listen, you will need
 

A Vulture’s Guide to Good Manners   

I never never never
put my elbows on the table
and my face will never show it
if my tummy feels unstable. 

I never tell a story
when my beak is full of food,
or eat a sprig of broccoli
that hasn’t been well chewed. 

I never leave the table
until I’ve been excused.
When someone breaks the gravy boat,
I never act amused.

I never spit my food out.
I’m never ever late.
But when I come to dinner,
I always clean my plate.
 

The Woodpecker     

If you think that his life is a picnic,
a seesawing day at the park,
I ask you just once to consider
the aftertaste
of bark.

Hummingbird Search    

If you spy a greedy bird
who’s the size of your thumb
and he’s covered all in sequins
and you hear him hum
and he helicopters down
to the honeysuckle vine
and he takes a big swig
from the columbine
and he flaps his teeny wings
like a maniac,
would you tell him that I miss him
and to please come back?

The Great Horned Owl    

He’s motionless and silent
like a stuck-up king in a play —
his puffed-up chest in a fancy vest
and a robe of gold and gray.

And you really have to admire him,
perched in a statuelike stance,
with his regal air and his royal stare
and his snug-fitting feather pants.