Once there were many birds. Colorful and diverse. Uplifting harbingers of hope: flitting, soaring, living. Attracting sunbeams and light. Spreading smiles and joy.
Now, the robins and bluebirds are gone from the damaged world. No inspiring eagles, strong hawks, or reflective owls. They’ve left a void and the harm can no longer be denied.
Their dark cousins stalk me as I trek the planet’s worsening, serpentine path. The sky and trees are heavy with black birds. Foul fowl with shimmering feathers and dead eyes. Solo watchers and ominous flocks track my movements. They are monochromatic shadows in the harmful sunshine. A threatening presence in cloudy overcast. Invisible, cawing stentors at night. Stygian demons eager to tear at my flesh.
These omniscient judges know my part in our ongoing sin. They understand the collective weight of our minor misdeeds. All tribes sense these ebony heralds proclaim guilt.
Loud crows accuse. Squawking ravens indict. Obnoxious grackles hector. Starlings and swifts scold. They condemn and petition for punishment. Sullen undertakers accompanying our demise.
To placate, I take token and painless actions. I hope to escape their attention by skulking and embracing denial. I avert my eyes and divert my mind.
They persist and won‘t let me fly from the consequences of our actions and our fitting fate. The dark closes in and the end is nigh.
Bill Diamond is a curious traveler from Colorado. He writes to try and figure it all out. He writes for catharsis and to try and figure it all out.