The birds
are loud
at five AM
in this moldy bungalow
you have chosen
this vacation season
with its air so fresh
and its crickets so loud
and the animals
so delicate in the night
you cannot hear them
as they pace
ever closer,
nearer to your window
on the off chance
that a careless finger
might slip past the screen
and be available for some possible
after-midnight chomping
unless you remain vigilant
throughout the dark.

Luckily you did
until a few minutes
before the wake-up call
due to the soft coo
of the loud birds
at the late hour
of five AM
as they prepare you
for your second day
of your little getaway
that you feverishly wish
you could immediately escape.