Baby robins have taken over
My fenced-in yard
And seem resentful of my presence
Unlike their parents
Who blithely ignore
My bumbling tasks
In this sheltered place
The babies are skittish
Startling easily if I don’t see them
Camouflaged in their fledgling spots
The littlest test their skills
Hop-flying from the ground
To the low edges of the raised beds
When they get a little wind
Under their strengthening wings
They use the tomato cages
Person-high to you and me
But skyscrapers to these youngsters
The oldest, the robin-teens
As they lose their timidity
And their spots
Make for the six foot fence top
And discover the wide world beyond
for the dverse prompt of 7/28/20: flight
Xanku 
Aww, this is quite lovely.
Thank you!
How delightful this is – watching them grow and test their wings.
I couldn’t go into the garden for about 4 days because they were so skittish!
So sweet. My neighborhood is teeming with robins this year, but I haven’t seen the fledglings. What a treat. (K)
Your title and opening lines are so appealing, Xan, I love this poem. We have robins in our garden too and the way you describe them is so typical, especially the littlest testing their skills:
‘Hop-flying from the ground
To the low edges of the raised beds
When they get a little wind
Under their strengthening wings’.
❤ Alexandra, you are blessed to be in the midst of this happy learning time for them. I can see it in head and music is playing.
They’re so funny. They freak out when I walk out there. I’ve taken to going out of my way, or just avoiding the garden altogether so I don’t scare them!
Your title is so perfect for your poem. I’m sure they appreciate you keeping the landing fields clear 🙂