Hearing the Wild near Home

 

House Sparrow

How lucky to have the constant music
of the wild in birdsong.  A bird-sound cell
phone app says today's musical mixture
is robins, house sparrows, mourning doves, and
catbirds—though which sings which song, I don’t know.
 
Ordinary birds seem extraordinary
to me sitting on the porch with closed eyes,
imagining I’m walking in the gentle woods
across the way.  A rollator is a poor vehicle
for woods walking, but the birds come here.
 
They fly from tree branches to roof to ground,
yet too far away to see their markings.
I wonder if they know the kind service
they perform by making this plain porch wild
and spiritual for those who used to roam.

For Sumana's prompt "Wildlife in your Vicinity" at What's Going On?  

My blog poems are rough drafts.

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© 2026 Susan L. Chast