bird is caught. spread wings held fast with sterile medical pins to a dissection tray. heart still fluttering at 100 beats a minute. increase in heart rate due to the impending examination. feathers flayed and panic twitch against the pins. blood trickle of scientific stigmata. beak half open, a bird’s pant. panic. pant. shadow of hand of doctor above. of young child in biology class experiment. of sadist 4 year old wanting to learn how it all works. he pulls a feather from the right wing. gasp of sound from bird’s mouth, a whisper of the wind he last flew upon. gnarled toes claw at air, trying to steady himself but only bucking against the wire entangled to keep him still. bird struggles. bird waits. patiently though scared for the end to this. feather is examined with careful notetaking and bird feels the ghost limb where she once was attached to him. feather bristles, longing for contact but is placed in a tray next to bird. pictures will be drawn later, labels affixed.
7 minutes. freewrite.
bird fought hard for this body. built nests out of chicken wire and discarded drag queen hair to protect against the elements. every season a different shape to the nest. in march, the needles and bootlaces of a stranger. in may, the bitten off nail nubs of mournful parents. in december, the nest is soaked in blood and spit, held together by the cupped hands of warm stones at the cliff’s edge. bird fought hard for this body. preened to shine his feathers, attempting to catch the eye of the neighboring squirrels, then covering his beak with a shy duck of the head into the moss. the squirrels chattered and kept their distance, leaving acorns by bird’s autumn and winter nests, whispering to each other what they thought bird might be building for the next season. bird fought hard for this body. the delicate bones, the curve of beak, the crook of his tiny bird knees. he was slow to fly but ambled among the crags of the rocks and easily hopped from branch to branch. in the mornings, he stretched left wing first, pulling the night from his quills. then the right wing, a ritual of attention.
10 minutes. reclamation.
