Gentle Birdsong and Bones Unbroken — For Those I’ve Never Met Who Fear the Ones Who Love

I’m sure you’ll never read this
This lesson could never come from me
But I do hope you learn it
Somewhere, from someone

I know it may be so, so very hard
For many of us to believe this
(Trust me, I do)
But please do consider the possibility 
That you can make the space you need
To hold and keep everything they have to offer you 

I hope you learn
That love does not become greater simply by virtue of
Arriving on the winds of suffering

I hope you learn
That it doesn’t need to be a vulture
Seeking only to devour you
Leaving your bones behind to bleach under hot sun
Just so you can believe it’s really there 
When you feel its beak tearing into you
As if nothing but a meal 

I hope you learn
That it can be delivered on the winds of change
By a bird of any feather
Be it raven, cardinal, gentle dove or another 
That can gently alight on your palm
Serenading you with words of honest honey
And delivering baubles 
Gathered from scattered places across the earth
Gentle gifts of shimmering wisdom and glittering peace 

But if you don’t learn 
If this lesson never reaches you
I wish on every wind I feel
I wish on every birdsong I hear
That they can fly away from your palm gently
With delicate bones still unbroken
And their songs, their words to honour their loved ones
Still resonating through the trees

.

July 25, 2025