I had a beautiful parakeet,

One decisive day, those proud feathers failed to shine,

A morbid discovery, in sawdust

At the bottom of the aviary

Mother in her wisdom,

Predicting an upset,

rushed out for a replacement

picked a perfect imposter,

plumes in symmetry,

inquisitive shining eyes

Yet despite her efforts,  

securing the doppelganger,

I knew it could not be the same

And that is why,

I had to kill that one as well

From the forthcoming poetry collection ‘A mouthful of space dust’ scheduled for release June/ July 2023