the crow pecks at the ground
slim pickings in this heat
he can remember when it wasn’t
too hot for picnickers
and little kids covered in pale sunscreen
half their faces hidden by too-big sunglass
he remembers pulling trash
from the cans at the park
especially after birthday parties
when there was the chance to find
a partial hot dog still in a bun
old dried cake with the frosting licked off
crepe streamers to spread on the grass
maybe some broken doritos
his brothers don’t know
how good they had it
and now drink water from the gutter
and peck among the slivers of
squirrel gnawed pinecones
he remembers a piñata
the sound of wood on hollow papier mâché
the glittering explosion of candy
for a moment he forgets to peck
Words and Feathers 
A crow lost in the yearning for manna from pinata heaven!
I really like this one. I can imagine a crow remembering all this.
splendid…i especially like the lines: “his brothers don’t know / how good they had it”, it gives this particular bird that ability to reflect which the others don’t have, so not only is there longing, nostalgia, but also that melancholy of being alone in longing and nostalgia.
Thanks!
Yeah, I’m starting to warm up to this bird.
You envisioned a crow’s thinking process eloquently. You must, on a certain level, relate to those wise and mischievous avians.
Thank you, Rose! I actually saw a pair of crows raiding a post party trash can and it got me thinking. 🤔
Haha! Even trash can inspire writers. Nice.
At first I was mad because I thought the people who threw the party didn’t clean up, but then we saw the crows throwing stuff on the grass. One was doing all the work and the other was egging him on.
Lol. Crows are great Rummager.
😅