‘What is the use of a book’, thought Alice, ‘without pictures or conversations?’
–Lewis Carroll
I had a conversation with a crow back in 2021.
“Hello,” said the Crow.
“Well, hello back,” said I.
“Don’t I have lovely iridescent feathers?” said the Crow.
“Oh, yes, they are beautiful. I see lovely deep blues and purples in their shadows, and where the light hits them, they glow with turquoise and lavender,” I answered.
“Then you will paint me?” Crow asked, cocking his head at a jaunty angle.
“Oh yes!” I answered. “Most definitely, I will paint you.”
“Caw, caw,” said Crow flying away with a smug Crow smile.
With Love, Kelly
I guess I have a fascination with crows. Yes, I know they mob other birds, are very noisy, try to kill my garden chipmunks, and all that other crow stuff, but how can you resist a crow that wants to have a conversation with you?
I wrote this poem as part of my year-long project Postcards to Nature, that I started on 12/21/20 and ended on 12/20/21. You can find this project chronicled on Instagram at postcards_to_nature
Fast Forward to New Year’s Day 2025.
There is a custom amongst birders that the first bird they see on January 1st sets the mood and tone of that year. I had completely forgotten about noticing my first bird. I had been up pretty much all the night before as poor Greg had become sick with a stomach flu. As the sky was lightening he asked if I would go find him Gatorade. The only place I could think of that would be open was the gas station in the neighboring town. It finally occurred to me as I was heading down the big hill into town that I had forgotten to look at my feeders to see my first bird. I had put up the mealworm feeder a week or so before and the bluebirds and one scruffy Carolina wren were usually there at the break of dawn. I was hoping for one of them to be my 2025 bird and dreading that I would probably see a house sparrow at the gas station. Not the bird I had in mind.
As I was getting to the bottom of the hill, a pair of large dark birds flew in front of the car – crows! Or were they the pair of ravens that live in the area? Crow decided to say very emphatically, not ravens, us – as another family of crows flew in front of me.
When I got home, the first thing I did was look out at my feeders – I was still thinking about my ‘own’ bird for 2025 and what did I see? Well, two crows flushing off the ground under the feeders. And for the rest of the day, and the week for that matter, pretty much every time I looked outside, I saw a crow. Including one morning as I looked out to the mealworm feeder, there was a crow, sitting on the frozen granite bird bath staring right at me.
Okay Crow, I get it. You’re my bird. Now I had better get going figuring out just what that means. Though as I think back on my Conversation with a Crow in 2021, I’m pretty sure it is going to involve a painting!
