I thought I saw two magpies
but one was just a starling
who landed on my shoulder and said
You'll never be her darling,
at least I think that's what he said
but it was hard to understand,
then with his ugly little beak,
he pointed to my empty hand,
and I'm sure I heard him caw
If you ever want that filled,
you'll have to heed the lessons
of all the other love you've killed,
so I pulled him from his pretend perch
and, drunkenly, I shook him
until he died without a chance
to protest that I'd mistook him
but one was just a starling
who landed on my shoulder and said
You'll never be her darling,
at least I think that's what he said
but it was hard to understand,
then with his ugly little beak,
he pointed to my empty hand,
and I'm sure I heard him caw
If you ever want that filled,
you'll have to heed the lessons
of all the other love you've killed,
so I pulled him from his pretend perch
and, drunkenly, I shook him
until he died without a chance
to protest that I'd mistook him