Birds 06 - Ravens Have Their Nest Crowded Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon

The large family of ravens roosted on a fig tree
where they assembled everyday at sunset, to sleep.
Monsoon had peaked, it rained day and night
for many days and it was breeding time for ravens.

A raven couple have now parted
from the big group and started
their search for a perch safe from
birds and animals to build their nest.

After searching pretty long, the couple
found a coconut tree with a slender trunk
that stood some eighty feet tall and
a graceful crown of large pinnate leaves.

Together they collected twigs and sticks
feathers and shards of cloth to build their nest
at the forking of an upper pinnate leaf
of the crown at the top of the tall palm.

They decorated the centre of the nest
with feathers, cotton wool and cloth shards
she laid three pale blue green eggs
with brown patches and markings.

While she sat in brood on the eggs
he flew around to collect food for her,
he was back with her food, when
a cuckoo flew in to the nest threateningly,

they attacked the cuckoo screaming violently,
cuckoo flew hesitantly as if to come back
to the nest again and again, teasing them
and keeping them away from the nest.

A few moments of torment
and the cuckoo flew away,
the ravens returned home
the female asked her mate
"we'd three eggs or was it four?
now we've five, or is it six, dear? "
he answered, "you birdbrain,
don't you know yet how to count? "