Havens
A dull morning of drizzle muffles loud squarks
of woodland rook-havens
where wings, raucously shaken cause mayhem
in noisiest of neighbours
for business of breeding attracts cackle chorus
and theft needs concentration.
Twig-placing skills require guile for completion
with stealth in home-making.
Nests ready mass stealing starts war in earnest
to keep robbing beaks away.
Completion then whistled to watchers males
stand aside for nest review
as beds neatly built atop sturdy trees win the
best She-Bird by using
procedure, for site-choice belongs to female
inspectors, strict matrons who
look first for negligence and reject the untidy
before yielding to wooing.
As keen-eyed scrutinizing of housework well
done decides feathered future
could this habit I ask, in wild crow behaviour
edify macho in humans ?