A Bird Flew into My House
a true story
What if this moment is the parchment asking for a love note? Carolyn Riker
A bird flew into my house. I couldn’t coax it out the still-open door. I was removing window screens
when my friend Irving, whose nickname was Earth, happened by.
One step inside, Earth saw the bird, held out his arms, hands cupped like a nest, and prestissimo the frightened bird flew into them.
How’d you do that? I asked, bird soaring from the threshold. But Earth only smiled.
I’ve lost touch with Earth although somedays I make angel wings in the grass then roll over, kiss earth’s cheek
and, while watching the little winged creatures cavort amidst the blades, imagine Earth awash in light, like the ocean beneath a pristine sky;
my reverence and love, its spray.
©Jenine Bsharah Baines 2021
Really, this is a true story. And all of us who knew Irving called him “Earth” — a nickname bestowed upon him by his wife.
This poem was inspired by an Earth Day prompt from R. Rangan PhD at Science and Soul. Thank you, Rach, for the opportunity to recall a wondrous memory.
That bird flying into Earth’s outreached palms is a Moment. An embodiment-of-the-miraculous Moment. Hence the quote from a poem by Carolyn Riker. Its beauty is transcendent. I encourage you to read it.
Just now, on a whim, I looked up the ‘meaning’ of the name Irving. “Sea friend.” Synchronicity!
Thank you, dearest readers, for sharing this Moment stared by my “sea friend” Earth…