Scarecrow Replies
This talk of destiny and exceptionalism and the incessant
push towards terror inflames my metaphorical innards.
Birds may kill, but they don’t practice genocide and never
erase history’s missteps with published falsities; their songs
remain true. Not so with man. What grows importance is
not what you hold but what another has in his grasp, no matter
how tenuous. I think of water and how some would charge
for the right to drink, or withhold it from those who cannot
pay. And air? Whose breath defines the dollar? Or the fear
that a distant neighbor might receive a benefit that you
neither need nor desire. Crows claim territory but roam
with the season, adapt as necessary. While they may provoke
curses in their wake, their damage is temporary and they
don’t poison for profit. If I could leave my post what station
would I accept? Having shared my days with sky-bound
friends, how could I choose another? They sing and swoop
and cooperate among the winds, taking only what they need.
They neither hoard nor covet. They steal but don’t swindle.
Their wings lift no grudges. Even gravity respects them.
“Scarecrow Replies” first appeared in MockingHeart Review in May 2018. Thank you to editor Clare Martin for her generosity and many kindnesses.
O at the Edges 
I love how Scarecrow defies his assigned ID and instead identifies with the crows – if only we all could abandon passed-down attitudes with such perspective! Perhaps being stuck in place (fewer distractions, greater focus) helps open the eyes?
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Scarecrow is a bit of a contrarian, and has learned to follow his (cellulosic) heart. I truly believe that there are benefits to both distraction and focus, though distraction is often more immediately rewarding, or at least fun. What’s better than starting at point A and ending at point M, with neither logic nor agenda taking you there? Ha.
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