"My Pet Cockatiel"
A poem by Lisa Colver
I call her "Birdie". She's my pet bird.
She has white feathers, a peach beak and legs.
She doesn't know how to speak a single word
And she attacks when I go near her eggs.

Her favorite thing though, is to be fed
But she refuses to eat anything cold.
Her favorite foods are millet and bread
Or crackers, if they're not too old.

She likes to eat seeds like safflower and sesame.
She whistles when I talk on the phone.
She fears the vacuum cleaner as her mortal enemy
And she hates to be left home alone.

She whistles to greet me when I walk through the door.
She likes to fly around my apartment.
At night I hear her little bird snores
When she has nightmares about trips to the vet.

She likes to try to eat jewelry I wear.
She loves anything that's shiny.
She often tries to eat my hair.
Her appetite isn't so tiny!

Her sense of direction really lacks.
She flies into walls and windows.
She even flew into the paws of a cat!
Thank goodness I saved her though!

She likes when people pet her head
And sometimes she'll let people hold her
But her favorite thing is food, as I've just said
So if she's nice I give her a cracker.

Although sometimes she can attack and bite,
When I leave her eggs alone she's nice to me.
She's happy to see me when I come home every night.
I know she's the best pet there can be!