Throughout my life they have been my narrators
Sitting on power lines and rooftops as they caw
And quietly flap their wings as I walk at night
My story would not be the same without them
They were my comforters during illness when I was young
And they talked to me when nobody else was there to do the same
They made me laugh and created just enough noise
To cover the sounds that made me want to run inside
They stayed with me and told me a very special story that
We are never alone in this world except when we think we are
When we fail to see a murder of crows as familiars and friends
But harbingers of something dark and frightening
They taught me that our experience here is often based on what we look for
And when we change our lense through which we look
The things we look at change
I’ve been looking for loss lately and my brain has found gaps
And empty places and lonely thoughts . . . and I needed it
Sometimes we need to jump into that place to feel our grief
But we can’t stay there too long
For our perspective will shift and we won’t see our comforters
I saw my birds with a child’s eye and they became my friends
And I am engaging that child’s eye to search for beauty
In the butterfly that dances by when someone dear to you is lost
The friend who calls when you absolutely need it most
The trees that majestically release their leaves without regret
And reach to the colder skies so that my friends can light there
Reminding us that all of our emotional seasons serve a purpose
And we are all connected in a spectacular way
But to see that energy we have to look for it and it’s hard to see with our heads down
So join me in looking up and listening for the quiet flapping of wings
Or dancing of dragonflies or laughter from loved ones or a kiss from a breeze
And know, always, that although we might be temporarily lonely
We are never, ever alone.