At the store, $39.95 is a fair canary price.
Make sure to buy a cage of taut, safe wire
with space enough for flying.

At the home, your canary requires natural light cycles—
if you must, place over its nighttime cage a mantel:
solid black, opaque to block your lights’ glow.

Provide it food and water, everything it needs to survive
in a cage: a toy or two (bells are best)
should be enough to entertain your new canary.

But you must always remember
that should you stare, hoping for empathy, at
your pet canary, its black eye may fall

on the wall behind you, which is more interesting to look at.
Many times you may want to pet it or
remind it of your care with a caring scratch or tickle—

refrain, think of its crisp, clean feathers,
butter-yellow and what
would become of them for your ruffle.

And when your idiot friend shakes it in its cage
jabbing a rude finger inside
remind yourself that it is disgusting to laugh with him.