The One Behind

In Cornwall someone built a feeder with room for one beak and a perch behind it for whoever's next.

Each jackdaw wears colored rings, one with a chip inside, so the box can write down who came, and when, and who ate.

A stranger behind you is waiting for you to go. A mate, or a grown chick, lands a beat after you and waits as well, and nobody knocks you off while it stands there.

It pays in minutes. Two years of rings and chips to see the difference, and the difference is something that didn't happen to the one in front.