Townsend’s Solitaire

I did not recognize myself in them, at first

Townsend’s Solitaire

They've been perching on the car door, 
the side mirrors, chatty and chirping 
and full of opinion.

I thought, at first, how endearing they
are; big bulbous eyes, unremarkable 
gray coat, stout snubbed beak. 

Then I learned of their solitariness,
having not inferred it from their name.
Then I learned of their territorial

compulsion, attacking their reflection 
as a mistaken enemy. And I did not 
recognize myself in them, at first.

I did not recognize how often I try to 
drive myself away, how often I peck and 
peck at my image. But I am not

so different. Obsessed with survival to 
the point of self-injury. Concerned with 
defending the berry-rich trees. We are

not so different. Small and confused, 
insisting on our corner of home in the big 
universe, determined to live.

- Moudi Sbeity

photo from Allaboutbirds.org

Living in the Rocky Mountains next to a walking trail makes of my life an abundant blessing. Almost every day I encounter a friend or two on my walks. Two coyotes the other day (a prose piece on this soon), and the great horned owl is back with chicks on the way. Learn more about the Townsend’s Solitaire here.

Thank you to the New Verse News for sharing my poem As the World Burns.