The fat little wren wobbled, teetered, fell over rolly-poly on it's side....little chicken feet scrambling straight up into the air. I tiptoed closer. No Mama in sight. A barely-grey plethora of feathers fluffed and puffed, accordian~like, gaining strength, and plop! He was upright again, waddling, swooshing the bent and broken wing to no avail. I gave him a little space, backed up two steps, and he charged!Up, up, up and
down
again!
I sat on the bench and fished my cigarettes out, blew mindless smoke rings into the suburban sky. And watched him. Struggling. Imagined him cussing in toddler babble. He was so damned determined. I wanted to scoop him up in an old worn towel, fetch him on to the porch, and tell him......things I know.
And without knowing it, I daydreamed myself right out of the front yard and he waddled out of my "I'm gonna let you give it all you've got and then bring you in for the night" protective gaze.
This morning I saw dozens of them. Scurrying, hopping, flitting and flirting on the dirty front lawn. I tried to pick him out from the crowd. Squinted my eyes and searched for the tell-tell limp, the tiniest fold of the fluffy new wings....but, I couldn't name him in the line up.
He's strong now. Probably stronger than the rest. If the name wasn't already taken, and he wasn't really a little grey wren, he would probably call himself Jonathan Livinston Seagull and people the world over would talk about him over coffee and under the stars.
I tucked my crutches next to the broom I never use. Put my key in the door and said hello to the morning.
Me and ole Jonathan should be dancin' by Friday.....
33 comments:
good to hear. You're a healer in many ways
good news. one determined step at a time, with or without a cast or parachute.
:)
Sandy....we heal in many ways from many different things and these silly little broken bones have gifted me with "time out".... and for that, I will probably remain eternally grateful....sometimes in the rush to live, I forget, that somethings just take time.....patience has cast her soulful net over my world...
kj....yup! I hobble quite well without the parachute! Now if someone will just let me balance on their feet, like Big-Dad-O did when I was little, I'll be off and spinning, twirling, to Eric Clapton in no time at all!
good to hear about your teetering...
how's the little house that could?
You are a silly, wild bird, as Mother would say! Now, I imagine those crutches will be playing 'catch up' with the broom on their dust collecting stance. GILYSVM!
A little bird told me you were feeling like dancing! It was singing bell bottom blues and I thought about that: you know, dancing as you stand on someone's feet, each step in the circle completed by both people at once.
You should clink! me in real time when you post. I was busy last night and made some great visual noise all over the walls at the treehouse. You'd love it!
and you got me thinking of butterflies so much...
There's a moth on my wall in front of me, not aything at all colorful like a butterfly, but should it be any less special? It does have these black wings with golden brown markings on them. I picked it up to put out side, and it sat on my hand, moved around a little didn't fly away. When I opened the slider door, I noticed it was cold outside. The little guy would die out there! It probably doesn't have long to live, anyway. So I closed the door went over to the wall and urged it to climb back on, which it did. It's just sitting there in it soft, dark mothiness, not special, bright dazzling colors, but something that flutters all the same. Had to let it be.
Peace~love,
my friend
Peace~love
Polish up that Stones cd. Dust off that barstool.
Mama's comin back.
xo
Blue
Oops!
There is a present for you at my place.
Scoot on down to see what it is!
xo
Blue!
scott....TY! The little castle in the back yard is smiling! Final electric and plumbing connects to go! Carpet goes in today! And ta!dah! trash pile bigger than the house gets hauled away today! Ronnie has had a truly bad past week and we're crossing our fingers he will soon be happy out back, floating in the hammock, coffee brewing at his place. We had no idea it would take six weeks of never quite stopping, to build a dream! Thank you for asking!
skinny....I'm hoping they only come out again to swat at things to high to reach or to be reincarnated as the frames for giant wind chimes! Truth is I can't venture FAR without 'em, and probably the only dancin' I'll get to do just yet is with my fanny on a barstool, but I'm walkin' in without 'em! Jiltin' that old lover and leavin' him at home! And ILYSVVM!
Silly Eric....I did clink you in real time! And there was the moth on the wall, not colorful at all, but a butterfly just the same.....
I remember late one night sitting at the kitchen table, feeling closer to blue than anything and then looking out the windows and seeing the frantic fluttering of wings so big I thought a bird was hovering at the back door. And then I saw her, and yelled for Holly to hurray....the biggest butterfly ever was dancing at my door....."Mom...butterflies don't fly at night, that's just a big ole moth"...she said dismissing my vision....
"It's a butterfly to me....." I whispered.
And she smiled.
Blue....You got it! Stones, smiles, beers, friends, and the best seat in the house! Clink on that one my friend! And oh, thank you sweetie! Here you are sending good tidings and I'm whining about my wobbles! You're the bomb, girl!
Peace~love and it's a great day for a Friday, my friends!
So glad to see you off the crutches! :) You'll be dancing again in no time-groovy.
this drew such nice cartoons in my mind.
enjoy the dance, you've earned it.
Off the crutches already! Dang I was looking forward to you flapping them and flying high liek Johnny! Have a great weekend crip!
I came over from Blue's.
Lovely writing here....
(you can practice dancing with the broom)xx
I am going to write an Ode to Jonathan Livinston Seagull. I hear he was a determined and fine spirited chap.
karma...:)OK, I jumped the gun a little....looks like I'm gonna have to spray paint 'em all groovy-like, string 'em with love beads and tote the pups a little longer! But hell, one day free felt really really good.....!
benji....actually, if I get away with it, it'll paint cartoons for the masses! LOL! Pray I don't break a hip this go round!
Spongy....your wish is my command, baby! The suckers just won't lemme go! Well, actually they did, then they sat back in the broom closet and stewed all night and then woke me up with "nanny, nanny boo-boo, told ya so, told ya so!"
Suchacoolcat....Hell, if you're writing odes.....write one to me! I'm the one pluckin' around on stilts.....he's a freebird!
Peace~love to all. It's Friday and unless Prince Charming shows up with really really big feet, Looks like I'm stuck on the barstool again for one more set!
gemma...LOL! If I can't ditch these metal pitch forks soon, I'm gonna be riding the damn broom! Isn't Blue the best? She just rocks!
Hi Sweets! I love the photo! So sweet of Gillian....I will meet you at her place for tea! :-)
Yeah, me and my size thirteens are stuck in Micigan! Dance with your bartender, twisting hips on the stool. It's all good!
Hopping the best for you and Ronnie and Holly and Haley (Hailey was it? Know the name, but spelling always challenges me)and the whole rest of the loveworks gang. Dreams are made on framed stages of the real. You took saddness and sorrow have made it into something that eases the burden of those around you. When anyone eases the burden of another, they do not live in vain.
That's all you, baby!
Clink!
vicci....that Blue is a gift in herself, isn't she? I was thinking about you today! I found your CD, the one precious Kimbies made you, on top of my microwave covered in bills and not quite started, never finished pictures! I know you don't believe me now, 9 months later, but I promise.....I'll get it to you! peace, love, and enjoy the week-end girl!
eric...gimmepeace took wings today! Two day post so I don't know if Saturday's count or not! Still, she's flying!
Clink! It's Friday! Take your size 13s out and paint the town! In glowing neon circles!
It's friday, and I'm taking the train back to Detroit to get my car from the repair people. No funds for that, but maybe a visit or two to some old friends.
Maybe you'll get my package before me! I sent it to the Cartersville address, so I hope y'all get it in time.
Peace out, my friend.
Your Friday dance must be finished by now and you one exhuasted sleeping beauty ... I'll just wishper sweet air into your dreamland and imaging myself dancing with a butterfly leading with my fluffy wing...
great weekend for you
Have a good one too eric ....
you too have not lived in vain .. the moth knows & some too
Eric....Oh I so hope you enjoyed your night trip....I absolutely love train tracks.....the clickety clack, and how they all look a million years old, a million miles long.....Here's to old Floyd being good as new! And friends, and fun, and Fridays!
Drips....You must have been there! Something magical held me up, teetering on one leg.....and I made it through two dances on the floor, concrete block swinging in the wind! And I slept to the music of a rock and roll lull-a-bye.....
Life gets better every day!
Peace~love my boys!
Oh! My! GAWD, Magnum!!! I love that picture of you, Sing-y! You are adorable. Okay, let me straight-up honest here: You are smokin' HAWGHT! in that foot cast. The contrast is delicious-----way down there, impairment adorned; anything above, entirely ABOVE it all and swimmingly happening.
You are awesome.
Okay. I just read the story. You amaze me. Again.
Sometimes compassion requires us to stand back and let the hurt little bird struggle to overcome, though our inner mama bear wants to enfold and hug to our warm furry breast . . .
Gotta tear muscle fiber in order for it to strengthen and grow . . .
Same thing with spirit . . .
Cast be gone!!!
gawpo....laughing totally out loud! So you liked reading about my broom, huh?
oceans....you are right so often, our "nurturing" can sometimes be disabling...."Give 'em wings, let 'em fly...." And if they have to figure out tape and glue and practice makes perfect on their own, they'll be all the stronger!
Clink! To the castchaser!
yeah, it was a good trip. Friends weren't home, so I drove Floyd up to Port Huron and hung out with my youngest sister, Sarah. She's the hockey star of the familly, believe that one. She could be an olympian. At one of the few games I saw her play (a championship game, at that), she scored two of her teams four goals, and got put in the penalty box four times and was kicked out of the game on her fifth penalty, all of them for tripping people or whacking people with her hockey stick. She's a tough little girl, and I love her so very very much for it!
pssssst... did you get the package?
What a beautiful, soulful write.
A breath of fresh air,
Light and love, M.
Eric....I knew ole Floyd would get you where you were meant to be after all! I love that spirit, that athletic, do it, get her done determination. Sarah will take that with her wherever she goes in life. No package yet. It has to pass through Peace first and get handed down to us, but I'll hear about it the minute it lands there! And then shortly it will be safely in my arms! Whooooo~hooooooh!
maithri....I woke up to another world this morning, following your hello's. I went all the way back to the beginning of your posts to start absorbing the beautiful, touching, important messages that you have to share. I hope you don't mind that I'm going to link you right away, there's an entire world out there that would be a little bigger, just by peeking into the pages of your life.
Peace~love my friends
Good to know the eagle will soon land in the butterfly's abode.
and I agree with Gawpo. And add that it's your art and writing that display your depth of thought and emotion that makes you so...
you know.
...and maithri has such an emotionally compelling page. What stories of life.
It makes me re-evaluate how I see my life. What trajedy and what love to soothe it with.
ERic....Isn't it unbelievable, how karmic, how magical, the soulful friends that are made on these pages? I was immediately transfixed, transposed, transported to another world.....the very,very real world, reading his passages, his pages, and I am so very very glad that he ventured here and spoke and know that we will all learn and grow from his sage thoughts.
Today has been a thoughtful day, a day for floating, reflecting, peace.....you know.....
peace~love
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