Independence–a Haibun
Last year I gawked for hours as mother robin sat in the messy nest she and her mate constructed with care in the tree outside my office window. After a while, three hungry beaks appeared above the rim of their security—scrawny maws gapping, twittering, waiting to be sated. The biggest one bullied, grasped in greed for tender morsels and twitching insects. He fledged first and quickly left for good. A few days later, always watching, I saw the smaller ones, carefully coached, dare tentative leaps into the ether of their tiny cosmos. And finally they flew, abandoning the known for our back yard.
summer sings freedom
quaking aspen sheltering
life’s risky moments
The second day, broken hearted, I scooped up a tiny body. I couldn’t really scold my Jack Russell as she only followed her instincts. I wept inside, considering the cost of being free.
Joining my friends at dVerse Poets Pub Poetics where we are asked to write about what we see or have seen out the window.
I simply love this! Beautiful.
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Wow, indeed. Well-told narration of reality within natural randomness.
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All living is a risk. You have captured both its joys and sorrows. (K)
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That was life in motion- what you witnessed. It can be joyous, wondrous and sad. Beautifully done. ( I’m glad you didn’t blame your dog)
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Wow! I really love that haiku, superb work 🙂 ~ Jay
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A poignant haibun, beautifully written. The message of the final line cuts deep.
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I enjoyed the drama of the robin world outside your window, and felt your pain at the one who didn’t survive. It is always an amazement to see fledglings take that first leap of faith!
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So lovely to read your work again, Victoria, and delighted in your baby robins.
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Welcome back, Victoria! We invest a lot of love into those creatures on the other side of the windowpane. How heartbreaking to watch the little robin family develop, fledge and fly, and then find that tiny body. It is nature’s way, but we still get upset about it.
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Killing for no reason seems to be something our companions have caught from us. A poignant poem. So much effort goes into raising chicks, but it’s all part of the cycle.
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Lovely descriptive piece and the coda was touching and true. I thought of Australian poet Les Murray – who wrote about rescuing little birds who fly into windows… ‘Carried outside, they pause a beat / and drop upwards, into gravity that once more / blows as well as sucks…’ Thanks for joining in today.
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I love your beautiful Haibun. A wonderful story and haiku. Your last sentence is very powerful in this piece!
Dwight
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I fear for the little birds making that first flight. Nature always getting the upper hand in life’s lessons. This was a sad story to read though.
I hope all is well with you.
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