For the Birds

A hummingbird chose to hover within inches of my ear this afternoon. Its whirring wings induced a brief dizziness. Later, acorn woodpeckers chose my mulberry tree as a location in which to bicker among themselves. I ended up watching them for far too long. They insisted that I watch them. Still later, a crow dropped an acorn on the street to break the shell. I considered the possibility that crows somehow induced humans to develop civilization so that there would be an abundance of hard surfaces on which to crack open various tough-shelled comestibles. I'm not sure this is true. Then evening brought a plethora of small birds to peck in the front lawn. Had I gone for a walk today, I'm quite sure I'd have gotten crapped on. When I go out tonight, I'll be listening for nighthawks and owls. Perhaps the world is trying to tell me that my life might be more interesting if I shared my house with a parrot. It certainly couldn't, obviously, be duller. I wonder how long it will be before I hear the geese returning?