Broken Wing Poem by Jim Yerman

Ava fell at school the other day and fractured her left elbow
Which brought back a memory in me from a long, long time ago.

When I was young I was walking home...it was in the early spring.
When I saw on the ground before me a baby bird with a broken wing.

I looked around but saw no nest...and with no time to wonder why
I picked her up, took her home then nursed her till she could fly.

There seems to be an innate quality in most of us...the impulse to be humane
By providing assistance to the weak...as we try to relieve their pain.

But this is not uniquely human...in the animal kingdom it is a running theme.
Proving our world is not as unrelenting or as ruthless as it seems.

It’s amazing where survival of the fittest is the rallying cry we sing
There are still some animals who take the time to help those with broken wings.

Perhaps they are trying to show the rest of us (I don’t think this is too bizarre)
That all life in this world is precious no matter who or what you are.

That we must remember through the grace of God we are naturally selected
That no matter how you choose to slice it...we are somehow all connected.

That by treating every living thing with dignity and grace
Even those with broken wings...we make the world a better place.

That when helping even the smallest creature to recover...to survive
These are the moments we are at our best...when we are genuinely alive.

“Pop Pop look at me.” Ava smiled as she was showing off her sling...
But for a moment I did not see Ava...just a bird with a broken wing.