John Wojtowicz

Accepting the Position

While showing me the ropes, the previous bluebird box monitor, a Vietnam Vet with a thick New England accent, asks me to imagine a female bluebird sitting on her tidy nest woven with grasses, pine needles, and bits of straw. Suddenly, in through the 1-¹/₂-inch hole comes a male house sparrow who pecks out her eyes and slits her chestnut throat. Then, one by one, he drops powder-blue eggs and pin-feathered chicks—eyes unopened—to the ground. He gives a high-pitched chirrup for his mate and they build a nest lined with candy wrappers and cigarette butts right on top of the mother’s still warm carcass.

My duties are clear: Track nests, eggs, hatch days, and fledges. Clean out boxes between broods. Eliminate house sparrows as necessary.

mountain laurels in full bloom—
the heft
of his calloused hand

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About the Author

John Wojtowicz enjoys monitoring bluebird boxes, flipping horseshoe crabs, and rolling around in the yard. His poetry chapbook, No Lightsabers in the Kitchen, was selected as a winner of the 2025 Poetry Box Chapbook Contest. He has published haiku in bottlerockets, Daily Haiku, and Autumn Moon. Find out more: www.johnwojtowicz.com.

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