feisty
were the tiny
willy wagtails
who built their nest
each year
in the melaleuca
by the back door

black and white
arrows,
they swooped
incessantly
on the unfortunate
cat when she ventured
too close

she cowered
under her pedigree
and her sleek coat
and kept away
- and four
hungry mouths
were filled


*Ritjeruki is the aboriginal word for willy wagtail.

Alison Cassidy

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ritjeruki/