Swallows on Our Patio

The swallows on our Patio,

Moved in there last May.

They checked the rafters thoroughly,

Then decided they would stay.

They gathered straw mixed with mud,

One beak full at a time,

Until they had an adobe cup,

Then with feathers it was lined.

Mother swallow laid her eggs,

I think that she laid four;

I could not see to count them,

There maybe even more.

They're sitting on the nest by turns;

I know what always follows,

Soon that feathered adobe cup,

Will be brimming full of swallows.

Those little birds will grow so fast,

And soon they'll leave the nest,

Then their busy, busy parents,

Will have some time to rest.

I'll miss their constant chirping,

But they'll come again next spring;

Then I can watch them working,

Through my kitchen window pane.

 Mildred Eslick Garner