THE SAINT ANN'S REVIEW

 Dana Robbins
AT THE WINDOW, A PLAY IN THREE ACTS

Act 1

At the window, my cat watches the birds in the yard, makes crunchy noises deep in his throat, hints at what he could do if not for the window screen. But he is all talk, for we have seduced him with our warm bed, our soft pillows, our kisses, our belly rubs, so he makes pretend noises at the birds, like an old guy watching football who yells at the screen and relives that time in high school when he scored the winning touchdown.

 Act 2

The chickadees hop and fly as if playing, while the cardinal, flashy in his red suit, dines at the bird feeder. His mate, soft brown with a red crest on her head, perches on the hydrangea
a foot from the window, looks straight at the cat, lets out a string of notes as if to taunt him. Other birds echo her, translate danger into chickadee or robin talk.

Act III

Then, as if choreographed, at the same moment, all the birds fly up and out of the yard, which goes hushed and still, except for two squirrels who come on quietly, stagehands after the play is over.

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Following a long career as an attorney, Dana Robbins earned an MFA from the Stonecoast Writers Program of the University of Southern Maine. Her two books of poetry, The Left Side of My Life, and After the Parade were published by Moon Pie Press. Her poem, “To My Daughter Teaching Science,” was presented by Garrison Keillor on the Writers Almanac. You can learn more about Dana on her website danamartinerobbins.com.