Swallows

I feel incredibly sad. I have just come downstairs to find the dog staring at the cat staring at a dead swallow on the kitchen floor. I picked the beautiful creature up and it was still warm. Just yesterday I was so happy to come home in the evening and see them sweeping around the courtyard, flying in and out if the garage with incredible agility and precision, heralding summer and all good things to come. It is heartbreaking. So many thousands of miles flown to end up on my kitchen floor.

I have held it and blessed its incredible little body and taken it out into the wood to bury it under some dry leaves with the sound of birdsong all around. It is the best I can do for its little soul.

I hope tonight I will come home to find the other swallows still here, though I fear they may move on if one of the mates has gone and when I look at them I will feel sad anyway knowing they are missing one of their fellows.

I am not blaming the cat. She's a little old these days to be catching birds. Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. She obviously brought it inside to show me but perhaps it hit a window or something and she simply found it on the ground. I will never know the answer, like so many things in life.

Comments

Most Popular