The Sparrow

Have you seen the delightful creatures

Cocking their head to the side

like a little child watching

their beady eyes blinking

in awe

before they flap their streaked wings and fly

into the sky?

Have you heard their voices

like children in the playground chattering

What a ruckus they cause tweeting

hopping and skipping

in groups

specks of brown amidst grass blades

and leaves and flowers of different shades?

Have you seen them pecking

at grains, a tiny morsel at a time

their crowns bent, their velvety throats heaving

like a pulse moving in and out

their grey breast

like the cheeks of Michelangelo’s cherubs

as they swallow their grub?

Have you seen them fly

free specks in the sky

and descend on their dainty feet

on the window seat

and did it not stir something within

that reached your eyes

and make you feel warm and fuzzy?

Did you not then feel blessed

that you were bestowed upon, these gifts of nature

to entertain, distract and give you solace

in your time of sorrow

or loneliness

Did you not then think of it as Him visiting

and did you not wish to rejoice?

Apparently the population of house sparrows have reduced dramatically over the years. A friend of mine in Bangalore told me that it had been ages since she’d spotted one. It’s the same in Mangalore. There was a time sparrows flew in and out of the windows of my grandmother’s house. They were family. When I checked with my aunt last, she said that they don’t visit anymore.

I count myself blessed that Mumbai still has sparrows and two of the many sparrows here visit me three times a day for breakfast, lunch and tea flying in through the bird’s net that we’ve put up to keep the pigeons, crows and kites at bay. In fact a sparrow has even used one of our hanging flower pots in which the plant died some time ago, as a place to build its nest.

This poem is inspired by Mary Oliver’s poem https://www.best-poems.net/mary_oliver/the_swan.html in honor of my all-time favorite bird – The House Sparrow.

Are there sparrows in your city? Do you feed them? If you do, you are helping them from becoming extinct.

Which is your favorite bird? If you have one, write a poem on it and share the link below in the comments section. I’d love to read it.

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