Early in the morning, when I awoke at dawn, I looked out from my little window and beheld a lovely display of God's creation...
My cell's window overlooks the prison's large grass and dirt recreation yard and ball field where the men can play soccer, football and softball. There's also an oval-shaped running track for jogging.
This morning, however, there were at least 150 or more birds of several different species gathered and mixed together under a pouring rain. I watched as they took turns splashing in a series of large puddles that appeared to be several inches deep in some spots.
For the past few days, my area has been getting a lot of rain from the tail end of tropical storm "Ernesto," which has made its way to this part of the country from the Caribbean, where it began.
But it was the now wet and muddy field that I was able to see dozens of common sparrows, a splay of scattered robins, and a flock of perhaps a hundred or more black birds, all splashing about in those big puddles of water. While, at the same time, perhaps a dozen or so large black crows wandered impassively through the crowd.
In addition, many of the birds were eating, too. It looked like an endless sea of fluttering wings. As each bird would fly and leap to different sections of the yard, their beaks would immediately begin to peck at the ground in their search for grass seeds, tiny bugs or worms. They also appeared to be oblivious to one another, obviously concerned with fattening themselves as much as possible in preparation for the coming winter.
Although it was wonderful to watch these creatures as they splashed with sheer pleasure, I did feel a twinge of jealousy at their freedom. I assume that not one of them has ever had to sit in a cage for any length of time, not even for a day.
I was amazed, too, at the way the different varieties of birds got along. Robins walked fearlessly in front of the sharp beaks of crows, while all the birds grazed side-by-side or shared puddles.
I'm thankful to have seen something beautiful on a cloudy and gray-sky morning.
D.B.
This morning, however, there were at least 150 or more birds of several different species gathered and mixed together under a pouring rain. I watched as they took turns splashing in a series of large puddles that appeared to be several inches deep in some spots.
For the past few days, my area has been getting a lot of rain from the tail end of tropical storm "Ernesto," which has made its way to this part of the country from the Caribbean, where it began.
But it was the now wet and muddy field that I was able to see dozens of common sparrows, a splay of scattered robins, and a flock of perhaps a hundred or more black birds, all splashing about in those big puddles of water. While, at the same time, perhaps a dozen or so large black crows wandered impassively through the crowd.
In addition, many of the birds were eating, too. It looked like an endless sea of fluttering wings. As each bird would fly and leap to different sections of the yard, their beaks would immediately begin to peck at the ground in their search for grass seeds, tiny bugs or worms. They also appeared to be oblivious to one another, obviously concerned with fattening themselves as much as possible in preparation for the coming winter.
Although it was wonderful to watch these creatures as they splashed with sheer pleasure, I did feel a twinge of jealousy at their freedom. I assume that not one of them has ever had to sit in a cage for any length of time, not even for a day.
I was amazed, too, at the way the different varieties of birds got along. Robins walked fearlessly in front of the sharp beaks of crows, while all the birds grazed side-by-side or shared puddles.
I'm thankful to have seen something beautiful on a cloudy and gray-sky morning.
D.B.
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