No Matter What,
Birds sing
At play in celestial fields, they
introduce one another
display their assets
regale with stories
of territories conquered
bravery against rivals
beak to beak combat.
Their songs
epic poems to might and flight
long distances of hardship, loss,
the ardors of nest building
parenting a thankless brood,
the dangers of snakes and hawks
of climbing masked bandits
who steal in the night.
Their journeys
a mission to survive
harrowing winter and lack
following the food supply, and sun,
primal urges forcing them onward.
Like us, straining for spring
learning the songs, learning to sing.
-Gloria Klinger
Academy of the Heart And Mind 