An original

Nighttime Daylight and Thievery
by Sarah Schaack (Pancho)

I have a mockingbird that lives in my tree
Who thinks because the emergency
Light doesn’t darken, doesn’t dim
It’s always day, at least to him
So he sings, constantly
Making such a mockery
Of all the birds
And of me.

Why does he see the light so easily?
When only darkness do I see.
Some might say, just let him be,
But can’t he do the same for me?

Oh that mockingbird, mockingbird nesting in my tree,
Stole my peace, and the remnants, of my dignity,
Took sparrow’s chirp, and bluejay’s call,
No one’s safe, he steals from all.
All the while, oh so sweetly,
He sings “where are you? And who is he?”
But mostly what he wants is,
To rob you of what’s yours,
And what is mine.

Much confused, nocturnal now,
His infernal chant eternal now
To be diurnal I avow,
But this my bird does not allow.

Worn out by morning, first light hits
Buried beak, he does not flit,
The others wake and start their calls
My bird yawns first, then has the gall
To sing his song
To sing out loud
The same damn song
Just as proud
As the night before
When we could sleep
I did not sing, I did not peep,
But the emergency light
With its everglow,
Stole from him, darkness, peace
And so from me, peace and sleep.

When thieves are robbed, no one cares
No one helps, no one dares.
They just let the robbery
Unfold no matter how costly,
A poor bird thief, so sleepy,
Just like me, just like me.