as i sat in meditation

i was visited by

a Thrasher

who kept my company

for over ten minutes

waited in fact until

i went inside and got

my camera

posed for me

flitting from branch

to branch

fluffing herself

all the while

keeping the twig

securely in her beak

i suspect she was

a woman

contemplating

motherhood

pondering the weight

of such desire

should she build a nest

or continue to be

free of such demands

i identified fully

with such deliberations

but thirty years later

i assured her it was worth

the gamble

with love and dedication

they grow worthy

by nature she’s aggressive

an omnivore who

feeds on large insects

even other birds

i can tell she’ll be

a good mother

providing for her

off-springs

teaching them

independence

–how to make their

own way in life