That startling sound?
a bird hitting the window.
That startling sight?
a squirrel carrying it off.
Hoping I’m wrong, I
go out to check. Bird’s still there,
but in shock. I touch
its feathers gently.
It looks up. I speak softly,
then back off. It flies first to
the porch railing, rests
a while, gathers
itself, then flies off. Sometimes,
as the bird and I
discovered, first impressions
can be very, very wrong.
JDG