sprung spring

situated between safeway and rite-aide
on the corner of alhambra and l st
nicholas and i stopped to watch finches
[i think they were finches / they
were damn small and fast buggers]
build nests on the rain gutter of rite-aide
and on an ancient disused traffic light
hanging from two thin wires
and left to dangle above the street
like an afterthought of no use
that it happened
a finch flying right above us
carrying a twig so large it looked
for all the world to be a tree branch
and slipped from its beak
to land right at our feet