WORDS OF ADVICE FOR A YELLOW FINCH

As I passed my bay window
I noticed a female finch
feeding at the cylinder outside
or was it a male?
(even a Google search has not made me certain as September approaches)

Birds are rare at our feeder
as our home's proximity to a busy street
often makes our food less palatable
than the seeds in my brother's back yard

So I stopped and watched
as she/he chirped and chomped

Suddenly, I realized that I, too was chomping:
absent mindedly shortening a banana

For a moment, bird and beast were one
and she seemed to size me up in that moment

I stood still
so as not to startle her
and then became aware of her tasting and twittering

You know, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full