One Bird of Prey

One red bird alights on the back of the park bench in Central Park,
The smaller bird, a bit wary of its new neighbor, takes in the rich red plumage, ts shiny beak catching the afternoon sun.
The fuller bird turns, saying, "Will you be my friend?"    
The quiet, underfed bird, rocked back some, 'Why?"
But the plump, bright bird, clacked proudly, "Tell you a secret, OK?"
The small bird gazed to his right, unsure, "Just say it."

"Here, you go fly over to that bench, distract the man feeding pop corn
to the poor, dumb squirrels, see?"
"Me? "
"Yes, you.  Easy, right?  Split it fifty fifty."
"OK.  Hungry -- two days now without eating."
"I'm off, then."  The red bird took off, out
of sight for the moment.

The poor, hungry bird glanced to the bench with the man
feeding the squirrels, circling around before swooping down,
in his objective.  Then, in a flurry of swollen commotion,
the man stands suddenly, the hungry smaller bird sweeps in -- but
the man now pulled back, standing there empty handed.
The red bird plucked the pop corn bag clean.  Then,
in this sweeping exchange the man unintentionally knocked
the small hungry bird to the side walk.

Now, the red, plump bird was off with his score, winking at his
real partner, unseen before, the Callico cat darting away,
the unfed, trusting bird in its mouth.  Just like that.

The dazed smaller bird now realizes what had happened --
he bought in, paid the price.  Two birds:
one tricked, one fed, more than twenty times what either one
could possibly eat.

Later, the red bird found another unsuspecting bird on the
fountain -- but this one just took flight and was gone. The
well fed red bird knew, saying to himself, There are many
hungry birds who are not as smart as me.  Many, even most,are not as smart and ready.

Like the dumb pigeon on the fountain.

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