A Chipmunk in the Birdfeeder

by Moira Colleen

A parody of songs from A Fiddler on the Roof, for the animals in my yard. I saw a chipmunk climb the pole into one of our birdfeeders yesterday, and this just sort of happened. Our current chipmunks don't have names, so we'll just call our narrator "Tevye" and be done with it, but Davey and Dizzy were two real chipmunks who lived here years ago.

5. Pokeweed, Suet

[MALE MOCKINGBIRD]
When will these flowers turn to berries?
When will the berries turn dark red?

[FEMALE MOCKINGBIRD]
When can we pick them for our hatchlings?
They must be fed

[MALE MOCKINGBIRD]
In winter we survive on holly
its berries are all that we need

[FEMALE MOCKINGBIRD]
But in the springtime
there are chicks to feed

[BOTH]
Pokeweed, suet
pokeweed, suet
filling, if austere
supplementing our diet with insects
beetles are plentiful 'round here

Pokeweed, suet
pokeweed, suet
staples of our lives
food that sustains us through the summer
helping our family survive

[MALE MOCKINGBIRD]
It's true, we could survive on peanuts
we adults can handle such large seeds

[FEMALE MOCKINGBIRD]
But for our little ones
we need much finer feed

[MALE MOCKINGBIRD]
We're lucky they are close together

[FEMALE MOCKINGBIRD]
We don't have to range too far for food

[BOTH]
Just pray the humans don't
dig up the pokeweed's roots

Pokeweed, suet
pokeweed, suet
squirrels like them too
but we must learn to share our food source
there's nothing else that we can do

Pokeweed, suet
pokeweed, suet
feeding us for years
humans may not think that it's pretty
but we're both very glad it's here