Humbled By A Bird! (A Poem)

 

It was a fine morning when I heard,

The sweet chirping of a familiar bird.

I couldn’t see it, hidden as it seemingly was,

But its chirps were striking all the right chords.

 

I said to the bird – ‘Hello! How do you do!

It has been a while since I saw you.

I hope all is well in your realm!

Do you still have your nest in the tree of the Neem?’

 

The bird chirped some more,

And from its chirps, this, I did encode:

‘Yes, all is well with me and my winged friends

Our fun in the sky knows no ends!’

 

I scoffed and answered, ‘Oh, this can’t be true!

‘We are having fun!’, say this, how can you?!

When for a morsel of food, you search hither and thither,

This sense of joy radiates in you from whither?!’

 

The bird chirped in excitement,

And I listened to it in astonishment.

‘The food seems tastier after a long search,

It is bliss, when we have it, seated on our perch!’

 

I shake my head obstinately.

‘No, you are avoiding the issue deliberately.

How about when it is summer and you long,

For water, when your thirst is strong!’

 

The bird chirped, this time, a bit angrily.

‘No need to look so happy at our apparent misery!

For, while summer can definitely be harsh at times,

I and my friends do have some jolly good times!

It is sheer pleasure to wake up on a bright sunny morning,

‘I will be hot, enjoy the short respite!’ – comes the sun’s warning.

I and my friends make good use of the early hour,

Before the day peaks, we make sure our tasks are over!

The food is arranged quick and fast,

After we have completed the task which was last,

We gather in the cozy shade of the big tree,

From all worries and anxieties, feeling free!

We talk with our friends, exchanging news of the day,

And talk about the adventures we had in our way.

The talk slowly turns into a lazy and dull chirping,

One by one, we find our eyes slowly blinking,

As the afternoon progresses and the sun rises overhead,

We enjoy a nap in the cozy shade of the tree, tucking in our head.

We know when the afternoon turns into evening,

The day shows some sense of ending.

Feeling relaxed, we get off with new fervor,

Searching for food to appease our hunger.

A quick scan, a fast search, a gentle nibble,

Spending some time playing beside a pebble,

Until, we see the sun retract its rays,

We then return back to our safe place!

Again exchanging news and adventure,

We retire, for another day, with vigour to venture!’

 

‘Aha!’ I exclaim, for I have found something to say.

‘It is nice to hear your routine for the day.

But one thing you forgot and it is true,

That danger from predators always awaits you!’

 

The bird chirps again, this time feeling exasperated.

‘When you say this, you sound really frustrated!

We know, that danger awaits us every day,

But living constantly in fear, that’s not our way!

We enjoy every moment, our worries are few,

With hope and enthusiasm, we start every day anew!

And that is the main difference between us and you,

That our desires and wants will always be few!’

 

The bird chirps once more and flies away

To carry out its task for the rest of the day.

Leaving me pondering and thinking, ‘It is indeed true;

The birds are happier because their needs are few!’