Feathered Parenthood

They were, after all, only
submitting to nature's blueprint,
instinct informing they must
counter-migrate back to
traditional nesting grounds 
with the unfailing arrival of spring,
to indulge in nest-building and the 
raising of feathered progeny.
Only later, months on, do they
realize the folly inherent in
instinct when squalling juveniles
roost on branches, flap awkward
wings and screech their ceaseless
demands to be fed instanter, the 
woods ringing with their terse, 
piercingly entitled demands of
weary parents courting denial 
that survival instinct prevents.