A Budding Love Affair with the Bird Cousins
Susan Ragsdale
If we took the time to look, what would we
see?
The bluebirds speed back and forth between
the white and plain wooden boxes. They check
and assess each one as carefully as any
human, determining which birdhouse they will
call home.
A movement out of the corner of my eye.
Ah! The owl family. Papa stands guard
watching one direction. Baby leans in to
snuggle Mama Owl’s cheek. Mama watches
me—comfortable in her own power to
simultaneously be both guardian and nurturer.
Rounding the corner, drawn by a racket, my
eyes quickly take in the battle already
underway. A Red-tailed Hawk is schooling a
Cooper’s Hawk. Locked combat plays out at
the edge of my yard. In a blink, they split
apart, take to the air, and in mere moments
are gone.
If we pause to listen, what will we hear?
The trill of the Carolina wren loudly announces
that the day may now commence.
I am here.
The cry of the hawk draws my eyes upward
to spot him as he lifts upward from my roof’s
peak.
Here I go.
The chirp of the chickadee softly floats
on the air as she scampers amid the branches of
the dogwood.
Spot me if you can!
But there! There it is. A moment I cherish
each day and of which I never tire. MY song
bird takes center stage. This soloist is
unparalleled.
The white-throated sparrow begins her aria.
She scales up and down her impressive range
stilling my movements and capturing my heart.
Her beautiful song unfolds. A short song this
time.
Be. Sing. Love. Live.
The adage, then, once again holds out Truth.
With eyes to see and ears to hear, our hearts—
ever so slowly—begin to understand.
The power of moments. The gifts of stillness.
The peace of now. The joy of being. Fullness.
I attend.
A mighty message delivered by feathered
messengers,
straight from the lips of God and Mother.
Take heed, all who will linger to see and pause
to listen.
© 2022 by Susan Ragsdale