Was it sunbeams streaming through the steaming
emerald canopy that whet her curiosity 
or
the cloudburst
the
steady
downpour
that urged her to soar
high
above

the fragrant jungle floor?

When she took flight, rising 
                                                            above

the maze
                                        of swirling         
mud hollows
                                                     and fresh
shallow puddles
                          spawned
by the torrent
rushing                
 down
the meandering
trail

. . . in that moment . . .

the forest’s symphony blaring 

thrumming, humming, burbling, buzzing
chirping, cheeping, twittering, peeping
trilling, chattering, whistling, shrieking
pitter-pattering raindrops scattering
splishing, splashing
leaping 

. . . in that single heartbeat . . .

                            did sprays of feathers
                                                                    slip from her tail        
                                                                          her wings                                                                                 

as she

p
l
u
n
g
e
d

        through a breach in                          the close-packed canopy
swept past tangles of stringy vines
and
spiralled
’round ancient
towering boughs?

                 Did they float to the                                                            ground unprovoked
                                         cradled in                                        the crook 
                                                        of a warm                  west wind’s 
                                                                                arm

Or

Did they dislodge in a colorful cloud of fury
screeching her dismay 
                                            as her hatchlings were                                              

trapped
 
                   and  transported                                                            to alien lands faraway?                                                         
~~~~

I’m happy to say it was natural causes that placed these feathers in my hands. I met shaman Univu Kuntanawa and his son Haru in Greenland in 2009.

The parrot feathers, collected from the forest floor, had been a gift for supporting the Kuntanawa Nation’s call to action. The tribe’s projects center around sustainability, rainforest preservation, and the cultural reconstruction of the Kuntanawa tribe.

Whenever my eye catches sight of these feathers, now hanging in my studio, they remind me of the rainforest’s song and just how awesome and magical our planet is: 

** side note – from the rabbit hole **
“Every year between August and September, poachers in the Brazilian Cerrado steal turquoise-fronted parrot hatchlings from their nests to supply the exotic pet market…continue reading” and  A Day in the Life of a Poached Parrot.

Thank you, dear Reader, for taking the time to stop by today.

❤️ Be well ❤️
+
❤️ HAPPY belated EARTH DAY 2025 ❤️