I love birds.
I love the Baudelairian albatrosses,
And the Jonathan Livingstone seagulls,
And the I-taught-I-taw-a-puttycat tweeties,
And the migrating ones that carry little princes from their asteroids,
But most of all I love parrots.
I love them with their rich foliage reminiscent of the thrift stores vintage
Versace ties,
I love their pitch perfect imitation of the ice crusher,
And they make you feel loved and wanted.
You say “I love you” and the parrot says backslash
Backslash back “I love you”
You say “I want you” and the parrot says backslash
Backslash back “I want you”
And you hope that one day, you would say “I love you” and the parrot would
say backslash
Backslash back “I love you backslash
Backslash back”
“I love you back”
Betraying that emotion long held inside,
And feeling embarrassed by what it revealed,
The bird would go on and do a pitch perfect imitation of the ice crusher.