Dear Catbird

 

Dear Catbird,

This is a fan letter thanking you for your spark at the Park and for all the times you've made me smile.

Generally we hear you before we see you, streaming out those notes you borrow from the world at large.

Some people think your voice isn't as elegant as more reputable avian mimics.

Brown Thrasher

Sure, Thrashers have their brief season of perfect pitch clarity,...

Northern Mockingbird

...and Mockingbirds sound off with their varied strident talents.

You're the folksy, unpretentious vocalist randomly improvising for the hell of it. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Gray Catbird in the eggplant row

The thing is that you have a quiet, companionable side, admittedly with an angle, when you show up during home gardening chores looking for tidbits in freshly turned earth.

You've come right into the garage to rummage in the bin of potting soil. You've perched on the back of my chair. You don't have the flashiest plumage but quite possibly you do have the brightest eye. For a moment I stop what I'm doing to catch that inquisitive glint.