The Crest-Headed Bird Poem by Saroj Padhi

On my way up the stair-case
to my roof -top garden
there she came swooping down
with her burning beak to frighten
barging in from the invisible nest
secretly built long since
inside our chandelier
in disuse
where her brood lay at rest
I felt like an intruder
understood her anger
and retreated with a shudder
cowed down by her red crest;

after a long pause as I went up again
I peeked in to find three chicks
raising their tiny heads as if to rise to heaven
as the mother filled the air with shrieks;

I acted innocent to evade attack
and bent down to weed the wild grass
bending and stretching my body in sun light
wittily saving myself from a morning clash!