Birds Of A Feather
one bird
limps across the parking lot
like a peg-leg pirate
he is gimpy
but not wimpy
he gets along quickly
despite his disability
he has to find that chip bag
before the others
so he limps with firm purpose
he has learned
to be smarter than the others
to use his wits
bird two
has no tail
he looks like he has been in
a fight or a car wreck
all scruffy and beat up looking
feathers askew
he stays back until
the others have cleared out
then rushes in for the remains
he has learned
not to pick any more fights
until his tail grows back
and he has recovered from his wounds
and recovered his pride
birds of a feather
some with less feathers
than others.
M.C. Newberry
Mon 16th Sep 2019 15:21
This creative conjuring-up of what can be seen around towns and
cities everywhere has me thinking of my own observations of
birds - usually the much maligned (undeservedly so) pigeons
whose brushes with the machines of man-made modernity have
often left them injured/disabled. One with what seemed to be a
broken wing (probably the result of a collision with a vehicle) was
seen trying to take refuge at the rear of a pavement on a busy city street. I was moved to call the local RSPCA number and hope it
was a solution. The bird wasn't around the next time I passed by,
but the reason(s) remain unknown. Moral: all living creatures need
a helping hand sometimes and, unlike many if not all of other forms
of life, humanity has the ability and the emotional response to offer
assistance in time of need.