"It Was I," said the Magpie

"It was I,"

Said the Magpie,

As it cast a beady eye,

"It was I who took your gold

And took your trinkets.

It wasn't who you thought it was,

The one you sacked with all that fuss,

As honest as the day is long— how could you think it?"

"It was I,"

Said the Magpie,

As it flew into the sky,

"It was I who took your ring

And took your necklace.

And you, with little thought it seems,

Assaulted her with shrieks and screams

And accusations wild and vile, and reckless."

"It was I,"

Said the Magpie,

As it gave a raucous cry,

"It was I who saw her leave

And saw her weeping.

And you will toss and turn at night,

Now not so sure that you were right.

Is, perhaps, it guilt, that stops you sleeping?"

"It was I,"

Said the Magpie,

"Who watched her shrink and die,

The victim of a deed not of her making.

And you are too proud to concede

That you have done an awful deed

That haunts you at your sleeping and your waking."

Copyright Tracey Meredith 2017