Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
Cuckoo!
The cuckoo clock struck
Three,
A perky, little, yellow
bird,
Cooed out happily.
His tiny head bobbed up and
down,
As he announced the
time,
He cooed each hour on the
hour,
Just as he'd been
designed.
He lived in a house upon a
wall
Where he felt especially blest,
He had a home of his very
own,
His private
residence.
Not many other, little
birds,
Could strut their stuff and
say,
"Look at me, high on this
wall,
I have my own chalet."
Proudly he perched on its
porch and watched,
The people down
below,
Whose silly behavior gave to
him,
A never ending show
And though they liked their
privacy
They never once gave him a
thought,
And everything they did or
said,
By this peeking bird was
caught.
He was most
perceptive,
And was frequently
amused,
How seriously folks took
themselves
No wonder he cuckooed.
For instance, when young
lovers
Sat below him on the couch,
Holding hands and sighing
deeply,
His cuckoos might ring
out.
And if they heard the cuckoo's
coos,
The young lovers might break into
giggles,
Their kisses thwarted, their
hugs aborted,
Their lovin' cut short in the
middle,
And pity the poor politician,
At the peak of his speech on TV,
The bird might pick that very time,
To cuckoo his coos with glee.
Surely that could taint the election,
If folks laughed when the cuckoo cooed,
And the speaker could face rejection,
At the chuckles the cuckoo drew.
Often when the room was still,
And the bird seemed fast asleep,
If one listened very carefully,
One could hear his wee heartbeat.
It was soft and barely audible,
One dared make no noise nor talk,
It was rhythmic and hypnotic,
With its "Tickity Tickity Tock."
Sometimes the clock itself felt bad,
It had no bells or chimes or gongs,
Yet the time of day was well-conveyed,
By the cuckoo's cuckoo song.
Reliable and dependable,
The bird minded and tended his clock,
His timing was impeccable,
He cooed precisely when he ought.
So why does the cuckoo cry on high,
And for whom does the cuckoo coo?
Perhaps for the man who needs to laugh
At himself and his bugaboos.
Virginia (Ginny) Ellis
Copyright November 2006