The Lessons Birds Teach Us

Erik Peters

Lesson I

It was a cold morning in early spring when we found the fledgeling on the sidewalk.

“Daddy! Daddy! You have to save her!”

Perhaps it was the chill air, or the two-story fall, or the fact that large hands are ill-suited to fine work, but it was a hard lesson for Sarah.

Lesson II

“Ewwwww! That birdy’s covered in blood! He’s a bad guy!” I smiled. “He’s a purple finch. That’s his plumage.” She frowned.

“Er, it’s his way of showing his wife how happy he is.” She hesitated. I nodded reassuringly.

“Ooohhhh! So pretty!”

Lesson III

“Look! Shhhh! See that’s birdy? He’s a —” But before I could finish she let go of my hand. In a flash of yellow feathers the oriol was gone. Sarah stood at the edge of the path, lip trembling.

“It’s okay,” I said, taking her small hand in mine. “But... he was so pretty. I just wanted to be friends...”

“He’s not the kind of pretty you can befriend.”

Lesson IV

The apartment was strangely hushed. Brillig ruffled his feathers uneasily in the cage.

Wrapping Mimsy in a plastic bag, I placed her in the freezer. Already her wings were stiffening.

I wiped my eyes and strode into the bedroom.

“Sarah, time to get up.

She cooed, stretched, and sat up.

“Daddy, why are your eyes all puffy?”

I swallowed hard. Brillig chirped in the kitchen. This would be a hard lesson for Sarah.