During the pause of this pandemic time, the birdsong has filled me with joy and soothed my soul. In the spirit of reciprocity, I wrote this to give back and give thanks.
Hundreds of songs
one after another after another,
original tunes
and clever twists
on old favorites
calling for a mate
from the tops of trees and telephone poles.
Sleekly elegant
with gray plumage
and white patches visible only in flight
The Northern Mockingbird
calls me to listen deeper
and ask…
What are all the ways I can
sing my song to the world?
Anna’s Hummingbirds
shimmer in iridescence,
hovering midflight,
their bodies humming
with wings beating 55 times a second.
Sipping shamelessly from nectar
up to twelve times their body weight,
their long tongues dipping in and out
of my garden flowers,
they
invite me to
soak in pleasure
practice joy
spread grace
be agile
and remember that
Small is All.
I am not just a drop in an ocean.
I am the entire ocean in a single drop.
The Oak Titmouse
with its feathered mohawk
frolics in the forest,
cracking open seeds and acorns,
singing jubilantly,
grateful to be alive.
Here.
Now.
On this planet.
At this time.
Speak up!
She says…
Get curious
and crack open your own potential,
Like this.
Like this.
Blue Jays
Dominate my birdbath
with their big blue bodies
unafraid,
to take up space.
Splashing water everywhere,
brazen and loud,
calling me out
of self-doubt
and the myth of separation.
Calling me into my
courage and conviction,
fierceness and loyalty
endurance and solidarity.
Acting always and only
in service to life.
Crows are plentiful
here in the Bay.
Some migrate.
Some stay put.
They have the biggest brains of all the birds,
using their intelligence to…
solve problems,
decipher causes,
use crosswalks,
open food bags,
remember faces,
drop nuts for cars to crack,
get drunk on ants.
They whisper of magic
and mystery.
Holding up a mirror
to remind me that
I, too, am an alchemist,
that can turn pain
into
possibility.
Shadow
into light.
(line credits: Small is All to adrienne maree brown and Ocean in a drop to Rumi)