🎋3 A.M. Alarm🎋… by JoAnn

On the darkest of nights, when all is silent or sleeping, I’m awakened by a loud sound. It’s the singing of a bird outside my window. Beautiful as it sounds, calling into the night with such a joyous melody, it’s rather alarming to hear at 3 a.m.

I should be sleeping at this hour. ALL creatures, great and small, should be sleeping at this hour. Why I ask you, is this bird singing its heart out right outside my bedroom window?

Now that I’m wide awake, thinking of starting a pot of coffee, the bird takes it singing to the tree across the street, moving on to awaken my neighbors one by one.

Is this 3 a.m. feathered alarm clock doing as it was born to do? Or is he simply a freak of nature? Who ever heard of a bird for an alarm? Well, I’ve got one, and apparently, so does my neighbor.

After looking online, I found that my feathered alarm clock is not so rare. It seems as though I am not alone in having a 3 a.m. wake-up call. This is a naturally occurring ritual for none other than the Mocking bird. It is mocking alright. Mocking me as I’m trying to sleep and anyone else who enjoys sleeping at night.

I’m still contemplating that pot of coffee as I hear Mr. Mockingbird about two doors down. He certainly makes his rounds. Perhaps he likes the sound of his own voice and finds the quietness of the night allows him to sound much louder.

Where is the bird who can sing me a lullaby when sleep cannot be found? Why can’t the Mocking bird be softer in his projection and sweeten my dreams instead of jolting me awake? He certainly seems happy, whatever his reasons may be.

Will he be napping after he has awakened all of us and we have officially started our day? How fun it would be to find him resting in his tree. Only to be able to sing as loudly as he