I’m trying to remember

what first sparked it

this fascination with birds

my lifelong obsession, a natural connection

hours spent pressed against a frosty window pane

watching backyard birds at the feeder

jays and cardinals, bright blooms of color against the snow

lone killdeer darting across the road

a flash of white in the distance

the tap tap tap of a red-capped woodpecker in grandpa’s tree

the startling thrump of a barn owl landing on the porch

that circling red-tailed hawk, those ruby-throated hummers

an eagle’s nest swaying atop a suburban redwood

slow parade of ducklings emerging from a rainy stormdrain

shattered babyblue robin’s egg at my feet

freedom and fragility, chance and design

life’s questions and answers

on a wing and a prayer

my natural connection, a lifelong obsession

(Day 6: 1subject30ways #freeversepoem)