The first time
I rescued a bird
I was eight years old
Playing tag in Joey Hughes’ yard`
I stopped when he yelled freeze
Looked down at my feet
And there, beside my scuffed Keds
A nearly naked bird
Everything froze in that moment
While I gathered
Shoebox
Tissue pillow
Eyedropper
Me
In my mind, the bird took rest and sustenance
Grew feathers
Learned to fly
Brought its chicks to meet me
The girl who saved a life
Instead, despite my nursing
And desperate prayers
A different fate, life lesson learned
My father’s steady hand, my shaking shoulders
His words resounding
Nothing you could have done
Happens every day
Other mouths to feed
Only the strong survive
(Day 24: 1 subject 30 ways #memorypoem)
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About katemccarrollmoore
Kate Moore’s passion is literacy, and she serves as a mentor teacher and staff developer throughout the greater Bay Area. Kate served three terms as the City of San Ramon's Poet Laureate (2012-2018); she also teaches poetry writing workshops and is an instructor in the Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership (MATL) program at St. Mary’s College of California. She was honored as SRVUSD Teacher of the Year in 2007 and San Ramon Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year in 2009. Kate holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from California State University, East Bay, an M.A. in Teacher Leadership from St. Mary’s and a B.A. in English Education from SUNY Albany. She and Bob Moore are the proud parents of four beautiful grown daughters, and the smitten grandparents of six beautiful children who fill them with hope for the future.
KateMcCarrollMoore 
Awwww! I was lucky – the rescued bird survived (had to feed it every 20 minutes, though!) and lived 13 years… she lived free with us, rode on our shoulders, went go-karting, bathed in a saucer, ate polo mints, flew up to trees but always came back…
your unconditional love
for all creatures big and small
has never dimmed
to the benefit of all