In the leafy theater of the wild,
Resides a creature,
Nature’s unruly child.
A mockingbird,
A trickster,
A teaser,
A feathery sprite,
A bird basking
In dark and light.
Small,
Yet his pranks are quite bold
He’s a melody thief,
A story to be told.

He chirps,
He sings,
With such deceit,
Imitating others in perfect repeat,
Tiny sparrows,
Their hearts a flutter,
Their parental calls he'd slyly utter.
Hah!,
How he'd laugh in avian delight,
As the fledglings squawked in fretful fright.

Using fear as a curious bait,
A symphony of mischief
He'd orchestrate.
When hunger stirred his tiny frame,
The mockingbird began his game.

He'd cry like a hawk,
So sharp,
So clear,
And feast as others fled in fear.
'The symbol of innocence,' some...