Old Owl in the Barn

Old Owl lives in a barn

up high in the corner of the loft.

His chest is white with speckles;

his feathers are brown and soft.

He is sound asleep all day

and only comes out at night.

He sees well in the dark—

the daytime is too bright.

He sees down below

the cows and horses in each stall.

He can even watch

where the mouse likes to crawl.

No one can bother him

in his corner up so high;

none of the barnyard animals

know how to fly.

He likes his quiet space—

it gives him time to think,

and when a skunk is nearby,

he can’t smell the stink.

He’s awake at night

when the other animals sleep,

like the cows and horses,

the pigs and the sheep.

He circles outside the barn at night

and sits up in a tree,

and even though it’s dark outside,

he is able to see.

When he’s awake at night

he watches over the farm.

He makes sure all is well—

that there is no harm.

Old Owl sees all the animals

that come out at night,

like the rabbits and mice

playing in the moonlight.

He likes to sit on the roof

and watch the raccoons go by.

He listens to the sound

of the distant coyote cry.

He hears the croaking of the frogs

and the chirping of a cricket;

he knows the rustling

of a possum in the thicket.

At night in the country,

it’s not so quiet when it’s late;

locusts are buzzing;

a firefly lights up for its mate.

The deer come out from the woods

and like to run and play.

That’s something that

doesn’t happen during the day.

Old Owl sees the bats

swooping all around…

and hears the howling

of the farmer’s basset hound.

He sees the chickens

all nestled in their coop…

and all the pigs

sleeping in a group.

It’s time for bed

when sunlight first shows,

so he swoops back to the barn

just before the rooster crows.