by Julia Griffin

For Barbara

“Residents… near Boston subjected to attacks and intimidation by group of wild turkeys—
and especially Kevin.”
—The Guardian

O woe to the burghers of Boston!
The Terrorist Turkeys have come!
The trouble at first had been lost on
The town, whose reaction was “Yum!”

But no one had counted on Kevin,
The bird with the blade in his beak,
And now his whole harem is revvin’,
And honing their terror technique.

In vain are the kitty-cats yowling,
The puppy-dogs baring their fangs:
The Terrorist Turkeys are prowling,
In devilish, Kevinish gangs!

But though you call Kevin demonic,
One lesson, with luck, has been learned:
Thanksgiving, to some, is ironic,
And tables, though crammed, may be turned.