The Holler

Fifty-five sparrows quarrel over food we put out 
The bandit chickadees 
Hit and fly the seeds 
We watch 
As hawks 
All the songbirds 
The squirrels in the turmoil 
See rabbits share in the bounty there 
The dog sniffs and chases the trail 
After the raccoons come 
With the yellow moon 
And the skunk and possum 
A fox or two 
But we left then 
We left them  
Fighting 
Still 
And beautiful

ANTHONY C. MURPHY

Anthony C. Murphy is from Lancashire, England. He has worked on the spoken word scene in the UK and NYC, most recently performing in Carnegie Hall’s Migrations festival. He has written a novel, Shiftless, and also an illustrated children’s book, Liberty Takes a Break. He lives in Yonkers, New York.