Suet back in the feeders
and three days pass
before the birds find it:

first the downy pair,
then the massed sparrows,
then at last the bully jays.

It takes time 
to reestablish faith 
in abundance after

a season of scarcity.
Birds know this. 
Some weeks ago

they grew weary of
homemade suet and seed
cakes and waited 

for storebought
suet dough heavy
with peanuts.

There were no peanuts
in my homemade cakes.
I had saved those for myself

to gnaw in small handfuls
when there was nothing else
upon which to snack.