Who Talks to the Animals, Anyway

Who Talks with Animals, Anyway?

Not just the Anointed One,
nor the Enlightened One.
Not just Francis,
nor Lao Tzu.
Not just the old woman,
nor the small child
with their bags of stale bread
for the ducks.

I put out the seeds
to bribe the cardinals,
the chickadees,
the mourning doves
and those with other feathers
to come
to brighten
to make happy
my bit of ground.