Empty Bottles

The empty bottles stood Upon the edge of the doorstep, A little handwritten note beneath one of them That read: 'No milk today.' The milkman came at his usual time And collected the bottles in one hand, And placed them all within a crate Then climbed inside his float. The blue tits had gathered in the trees And there they waited forlornly, For their daily meal of cream Then flew away so far. The milkman's note blew on the wind Along the path to every house, And every street upon his route Until he came no more.