Today I Heard a Bird Sing !!

This is a rhetoric, satirical poem that intends to dawn upon us that how we, as humans, are better than animals & birds, but, still posses a complaining and ungrateful attitude in life. 

Our Reverend Fr. Jose Philip (Principal- St. Xavier’s School, Raj Niwas Marg, Delhi) shared this poem with me when I was, really, in low-point of my life.

Today I heard a bird sing.

Its voice carried notes of both struggle and strain

It sang its best as it woke again……..

Today I heard a bird sing

Hungry mouths in the nest all opened wide

Every daylight hour spent working how that bird must be tired……..

Today I heard a bird sing

No vacations or weekend retreat each day a struggle, just to eat

But it sang anyway, through the twists and turns it sang it’s best, thankful for worms………

Today I heard a bird sing

It had nothing in the bank, nothing stored for a rainy day

And to the cat and the hawk it was prey. But it sang, it sang anyway……..

Today I heard a bird sing

Its flimsy house leaked and creaked but had a great view

It had no roof and the wind blew right through

So it sang thankful for feathers thankful for good weather……..

Today I heard a bird sing

Soon another answered, singing two a rule of nature

Singers draw mates and love songs flew………..

Today I heard a bird sing

So I began my own tune I sang my best

Happy and full though there was still room for more in my nest

Tomorrow mouths will be hungry, the work will be there

But thank God I’ve got wings to take to the air

A nest I do have, it sometimes leaks too

But the thing about life it’s got a great view………..

Today I heard a bird sing

And I joined with my voice to sing or not, 

The choice is not work to gather in food

That must be done to feed a hungry brood

The choice is more subtle more sublime than that

Than whether to simply hang up your hat

For the birds of the air have nothing on you

You’ve got more to drink than the morning dew……..

So lift up your voice. Go ahead, make that choice and let go a tune

Daybreaks is coming, start singing soon……….

“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not,

neither do they reap,nor gather into barns;

yet your heavenly Father feeds them”.

Are you not much better than them?