A Sidewalk Morning Star

I slipped past the garden gate onto the sunlit sidewalk, my webbed feet pattering briskly against the cool concrete! Right in the tree planter by the curb, resting in a bed of shredded bark mulch, sat a round, spiky sweetgum seedpod. It looked just like a prickly little festive star! I scurried over, braced my chest against the woody spikes, and gave it a hearty push. It tumbled over the woodchips with a satisfying crunch, rolling right into the curve of a broad yellow sycamore leaf. I propped the leaf upright with my bill to create a golden backdrop, puffing out my chest in pure delight at my morning creation!