“I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.

A bird will drop frozen dead from a bough,

Without ever having felt sorry for itself.”

D. H. Lawrence

ÿ

I have been fascinated by crows

Ever since my very early childhood

And I often follow their captivating caws

Whenever I’m off wandering in the woods

I’ve also befriended a very old one legged crow

Who’s been visiting me now for quite some time

He often calls out to me just after the crack of dawn

Valiantly perching on his one leg on our telephone line

I’ve gotten into the habit of tossing him shelled peanuts

And he swoops down catching them in his beak in mid air

Then my feathered friend disappears for several days or so

Old One Leg seems to go wherever he pleases without a care

I’ve often wondered just how old my friend One Leg really is

And I just learned of the death of a captivating  59-year old crow

This bird named Tata made his debut at the Long Island Cemetery

When in 1947 he fell out of a tree in a storm when the wind did blow

A kind cemetery caretaker picked up this very young fledgling

Who was too severely injured to ever fly or to survive on his own

And he gave him to a bird loving family who had him for 50 years

Allowing this captivating feathered creature to reside in their home

When this kind family became too old to care for Tata anymore

A wildlife rehabilitator quickly decided not to give up on him yet

And old Tata who was now blind still loved sitting in her windowsill

Joyously cawing out each and every morning never filled with regret

She reported that Tata was still very active and still very happy

Until the very day that this blind old cawing crow passed away

As I sat outside early this morning listening to old One Leg sing

I realized how much animals teach us in so many different ways

ÿ

“A Bird Does Not Sing

Because It has an Answer;

It Sings,

Because It has a Song.”

A Chinese Proverb

©2006, Mr. Ed