Dawn Chorus

The sound of the seagulls is special to me,
A daily reminder I live near the sea
(A location of circumstance over selection,
After struggling to leave on several occasions
Eventually conceding it wasn’t to be
For nobody anywhere else would employ me!
A curious fate, not one to reflect
But relevant here in the setting of context-)
I hear them arrive, each morning the same,
Their gathering number a daily refrain
Beginning with just a single call
Then others arriving to join the squall.
That laughing sound that makes me smile;
The way they hang around a while,
Animated, sharing daily news
And doubtless contemplating the view.
Whether the weather be sunny or dull
Must have some effect on a gull?
Or do they really never get bored
Commuting daily sea-ward?
I’d like to think they love their work,
Mindful of inevitable perks-
Detritus dropped in disregard
By humans along the promenade,
The first to complain when under attack
Pretending that they want it back
Screaming, calling, flapping arms
When all that’s needed is composure and calm-
But, hey! What’s wrong with courting attention?
A person-centred intervention;
Theatre often truly absurd
When in the presence of such a bird.
Seagull one and seagulls all
Brighton’s truly in your thrall,
The prominence that we proclaim
In seagulls by nature
And Seagulls by name!