Feather in the leaves...

Feather in the leaves,
the tenderest among us,
things made of beauty.

View up close in the gallery.

About a month ago when signs of spring started showing in earnest I began walking my favorite forest nearly every day. It was such a relief to see green popping up against the still chilly and rainy days and the walks brought with them sighs of relief. One day I came across this Golden-crowned Kinglet dead on the forest floor. It was poignant since spring was just barely beginning, he had travelled a long way to get here, and already this tiny bird was gone. In the walks that followed I would see his body just off the trail until flooding rains finally washed him away.

The crosshatch pattern that his feathers made and their color was beautiful. Birds are mighty, especially these tiny songbirds—barely bigger than a hummingbird—being in the world in a way that humans can hardly imagine. This painting and haiku are for him.