on our morning walk
the puppy and i saw
a blue jay happily cleaning out the gutters
of a house [we assume] ze does not own—
flinging dead leaves and other debris
blocking the flow
to the ground
flipping zir little head as ze does it
joyfully
[based on what little we know of bird moods]

and i have to know:
was ze contracted to do this work?
is ze fed by the residents and wanted to be kind and give back a bit?
or was ze looking for some food/worms/treasure deep in the muck?
[and if so, did ze end up finding it before ze flew off?]