Are you my Mom? chirped Baby Bird
Indeed, replies the mother
And this is Dad, at least for now
Until I choose another

Dad flew so far and found this box
God bless his purple breast
He egged me on to 14-61
And there I built our nest

I laid our eggs amongst the twigs
And patiently we waited
Four hatched, a healthy brood and strong
But your siblings were ill-fated

We flew around to swallow bugs
Fly-catching on the wing
They formed a bolus in our throats
To feed our four offspring

Where are my siblings, Mother dear,
I do not hear them squawk?
Well, if you catch my drift, my chick
They went to feed the hawk

Can we assume they won’t be back?
Yes, please make no mistakes
Fly close to me and be aware
Of raccoons, owls and snakes

You must learn to intersect
With insects on the fly
To feed yourself and maintain health
Your grub is in the sky

We need to practice and prepare
For our seasonal migration
6,000 miles to travel south
To the Amazon Basin Station

Now off we go to soar some more
Come fall we’ll be departin’
Moving on from 14-61
My little Purple Martin