Feather of Freedom

Feather of Freedom work in progress.

A soft white feather off a sparrows breast

Landed on my lap.

And I gently picked it up

So careful not to squash and wrinkle the beautiful

Puffy Array of downy vanes arranged around its delicate quill.

As I looked closer, I tried to find the tiny hooks which connected the soft barbules together,

so they could stick to each other, creating the smooth surface treasured by all feather collectors.

This feather molted and was replaced by a new one to keep my sparrow

Warm, dry and camouflaged from harm.

As I was caressing this feather, my sparrow, fluffed up on an apple tree,

Was also cleaning himself, with his beak piercing between the barbules and rearranging his feathers again

Into a strong surface which could carry him high into the sky.

As he cleaned himself he looked at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eye,

As if to say:

"Take care, for I still have a journey ahead of me."

And as I kept watching him, I was affected by his cheerful disposition.

I smiled back at him, secretly wishing him well.

As I lifted the feather to thank him,

Showing him my gratitude for sharing his life with me,

He flicked his tail and flew off into the horizon

As if in a hurry to reach his destination.

Sadly, left alone, I searched to find an old discarded perfume bottle and thought:

"Feather, your job is to fly. Not to be left behind."

I cut out a tiny cork ship which I slipped through the mouth of the bottle and glued it to the bottom.

I then gently pushed through the feather and set it up high and proud, into the deck, so it would sail and fly forever.

Once my bottle was securely sealed and ready to be viewed, I slipped a knot around it's neck

And hung it outside by the branch where my friend, the sparrow, could find it.

There it hangs,

Sailing through green branches, pushed by the wind, with no particular place to go.

Every day I sit on the porch, waiting and hoping to see my sparrow again

Every day his feather brings me joy thinking about him, the places he is visiting and the cheer he is bringing to all who see his carefree, mischievous sparkling eyes.

This Feather of Freedom,

Off a sparrow's breast,

Is on a journey, to the far off west.

It will sail forever

It will always fly

It has so many uses

But not enough time.

This Feather of Freedom

Touched me today

I wish I could use it to fly away

But my life is grounded and

I'm here to stay.

My freedom I found in a Sparrow's eye.

Who's chirp I hear up in the sky

A downy feather was his gift to me

And with this feather, he set me free.

A Lady’s Life