Easter Figurines are Re-reading "Words In Our Beak" (Tuesday's Truths WK 210)

For this 210th segement of my Tuesday's Truths series, I'd like to say I'm so thrilled that my Easter-loving friends (figurines) stopped by to re-read portions of my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak (which is featured in the photograph atop this post). 

Most everyone knows the Easter season is 50 days so they have plenty of time to re-read their favorite passages. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective.

MY BOOK SERIES

The stories are set in my garden and these books are narrated by a female cardinal whose picture is on the cover of each volume. 

They make a perfect gift anytime but especially during the Easter season which this year lasts until May 23rd.

A Tale of a Pigeon Holding His Beak Open

This past June, I wrote (on Facebook) about an American robin with  an open-beak who was visiting my garden (that creature is featured in the image atop this entry) and I stated, "At first I thought he/she was a young American robin and holding his/her beak open in hopes of being fed. I thought this because the sweet-looking bird seemed to be looking around as he/she held his/her beak open. 

"Then I remembered that when it's hot (which it is today) some avian species will also resort to gular fluttering. The bird will open its mouth and “flutter” his/her neck muscles, promoting heat loss (think of it as the avian version of panting).

"But if truth be told, I don't know the motive behind my visitor's open beak, as he/she did not tell me. All I know is that the day is hot and an open beak is one way to beat the heat."

I did not see any birds with an open beak after that until last Saturday (4-3-2021) when I saw a pigeon with an open beak which had me concerned.

Meditation for Easter Sunday 2021

In addition to a lone American robin visiting my garden yesterday (4-3-2021), a pair of Mourning doves spent many hours here. They are featured in the image atop this entry.

I am comforted being in their presence which is not surprising, given the consensus is that this bird type "represents peace and safety. However, a pair of these doves, in literature, presents a picture of devotion, love, and friendship. The mourning doves are said to encourage healing, after one lets go of emotional baggage. They represent forgiveness, release, peace, and finally moving on, or forward."

I am certainly in need of healing physically (dental wise) but I’m also in need of emotional healing  (due to my feeling broken over re the actions of someone), so I welcomed these doves as well as any healing they can offer.

Holy Saturday 2021

It is such a blessing to be visited by a robin anytime but especially on Holy Saturday (which is today). Did you know that robins (the bird type featured in the image direcly above) are associated with a tale about the crucifixion of Jesus?

"....the thing with feathers that perches in the soul...."

TM, a woman who lives in Queens, sent me a copy of the photo seen atop this entry, which she took while on a walk. 

I guess she thought of me when she saw the chalkboard quotation because a few years ago (in March of 2019), I read a mediation by Dr. James Campbell ("In Praise of Pigeons") on Emily Dickinson's poem titled “Hope is the thing with feathers” and shared it with TM.

Part of Campbell’s meditation stated: "When I imagine that 'little bird' of which Dickinson wrote, I automatically think of the starlings and the sparrows of my Indiana childhood.  I might even imagine the colorful and aggressive blue jays or cardinals that I still enjoy watching. But when I think of hope and birds and bird songs, I never ever think of a pigeon...."

The meditation goes on to talk about the orator's experience with pigeons and he adds, "But those pigeons were persistent, muscular, determined....They never let me forget that they were there..." 

And he continues his thought re Dickinson's poem repeating the line, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune--without the words, and never stops at all…. But it’s not a delicate little bird, easily frightened away.  Hope is a New York City pigeon – persistent, determined, muscular, cooing at us even when we do not want to hear her song, reminding us that where we are today is not where we shall end.  The exiles will return. There will be justice and equity for the poor of the earth..."

More info can be found within another entry on my blog. Btw, pigeons and references to poems (including other ones by Emily Dickinson) can be found in my hard-cover book series, Words In Our Beak. 

MY BOOK SERIES

The goal of these books is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in a rooftop urban garden (mine) in New York City, my story is told in the voice of Cam, a female cardinal, who visits it. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. 

The books make a perfect gift for someone who may be in quarantine or lockdown due to consequences of the coronavirus because the stories in them can bring the outdoors into the homes of those who cannot go out (or should not) and about.

April's Inspiration

I recently discovered the poem, "Spring," by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which is posted atop this entry, and because we are now in National Poetry Month, I'm calling attention to it, on some levels, it reminds me of what T.S. Eliot has said re the month of April, and it is posted directly below.

I've published posts re Eliot's quote including ones from 2019, 2018 and 2011 and because I'm familar with his darker interpetation of what this month means, I wasn't surprised to read the words of Edna St. Vincent Millay when it comes to April.

However, I wonder if E.B. White might've been surprised to hear her words about this month, given what he wrote about this poet in his mini New Yorker essay, "WRITER AT WORK" (published in 1927).