Eek! by Scott Nickel for July 10, 2022

Then this greenish bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it did not lack, yeah,

“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, "art sure no craven,

Or ghastly grim and ancient raven

wandering from the Nightly track, ya Quaker? —

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore! What the heck, huh?"

Quoth the parrot , “Want a cracker!”