Sparrow Poem by Justin Reamer

‘A bird in hand is worth two in the bush, ’
The archaic aphorism says in its stupidity like
An old codger who forgot to use his
Left-turn signal on a busy turnpike,
Causing collisions everywhere in the road as
Everyone tries to avoid his volatile vehicle
Stirring awkwardly in the middle of the road.
Thoroughly discombobulated with nonsense,
Contemplation captivates me with confusion
Until I am liberated by the sight of a songbird:
A single sparrow drifting in the wind.

The little bird, catching my attention, swoops
Gracefully into the rafters like an aeroplane
Landing on the runway with perfect precision,
Her beak carrying a worm like a clam with its pearl.
As she lands, delicate cries of famished children
Resonate from a nest containing her offspring.
Wailing like infants, the fledgling demand
Her attention as she feeds them individually,
Never resting until they are fully satisfied.
Upon completion, she collapses from exhaustion,
Finally resting serenely after a long day’s work.

A mother unlike anything I’ve ever seen,
The sparrow reminds me of my own mother,
Protecting her children from worldly malevolence,
No matter what challenges may come her way.
A heroine unlike anything humankind has seen,
The sparrow demonstrates Nature’s beautiful majesty
With anthropomorphic qualities of strength and courage,
Reminding us about one important thing to remember:
Nothing on Earth, even at its worst, is ever truly for the birds.