Blue Jay Burdens

Here’s a tale of 3 birds

Two mortals

1 crossbody char blackened

With the burden of failure secrets and horrors motivational

She stretches her bright blue wings over a small pool in the nook of tree roots

And there she is

Looking back at herself in the water

The former mortal

Filthy guilty, ill, still

reflecting, haunting, daunting

The long gone soul out of the adjacent

small figure under the blanket

Because “how could I

I couldn’t get out of bed

I couldn’t fix my head

And then she’s dead”

What’s the purpose of carrying forward

If motherhood goes out the window

With my sanit, soul, and small child

So day in day out this new life

She spreads her wings

Fierce and loving

Dedication like fire fed

with oxygen and lightning

To scavenge and fly and live well fed and happy

So they caper about the tall tree branches and scout the ground for nest buildings, sustenance, and pretty things to the eye

You have to hide the treasure

and the pile of beads the babies came upon were bright and colorful

Purples oranges and greens

The younger of the two

Sweet and chirping wants to hide the treasure and looks to the back of their tree trunk hollow

The black bag mother says is not for touching

It’s grown up things, human things she says

She keeps it to protect them but they don’t know why

But this little baby blue bird just can’t help herself so with her tiny beak she drops the bead into the crossbody bag

Mom and brother stunned to truth as it transpires

Mother in her previous state perspires

She yells and cries and begs but a

Baby blue bird head is pure

Not like the secrets in this bag

They cannot touch

They cannot mingle

Her faults are not worthy of this love and treasure

So she dumps the bag frenzied and horrified

Angry and ashamed

And the story unfolds

Of the mental deterioration, neglect, and stinking death that plagued her and her first

But she fell to her knees

Before her maker

Desperate and contrite

One more chance

Let me make this right

And so should she be

A blue bird in a tree

With two babies

A family, three

And so the little ones came to know

Her failure, shame, and illness

The past life burdens of a brain been sick

But the littlest one spoke up sending goosebumps up their skin

But mama you took care of us when we were sick

You did all the things you could

I don’t hold a grudge at you

I’m glad we get a chance at two

And this time when your brain gets sick

We’ll take care of you

And mama bird went pale

Because here they both were again

New life, new goals

But baby bird so filled with love

She never knew she came ‘round twice

What a way to end the line

As she rebuilds why was destroyed

And attracts the next divine