A blue jay visited me this bright morning
I imagined what his day must be like
From the bird’s eye view
From his perspective
From his perception

Cold breeze pulls at my favored wing
Move it over my eyes to shield me
From both the breeze and the morning light
An instinctual memory
Born very long ago
On the blurred edges of the furthest view

A familiar stiffness in both wings
In an instant, the longing returns
For a return to my home on the winds
Averting my eyes from the sun
I test my wings
Stand tall and spread them wide

A short hop
Then I spread my wings fully
Tilt my head toward the ground
All without obvious thought
My only thought is that I must glide
I must soar toward the clouds up high

Surveying my surroundings quickly
Seeking both food and peril
Ever vigilant
My highest thoughts
Above even the desire to fly
To eat and not be eaten
To continue to live

Finding neither prey nor predator
I look toward the bright sky
Spread my wings wide
Move the feathers without much thought
Knowing the combination that will lift me
I soar toward the heavens

It occurs to me
As I write these words
My needs
Not all that different
From that of the blue jay

To eat
To survive
To soar
To live
To be