Nesting

by Roisín O’Donnell

If you’re a bird, the nest is pretty much the most dangerous place you can be. Sure, predators know where to find you.”

“Under the shelter of each other, people survive.

cold day, mackerel sky. Sunlight glints off the immaculate lawns, skittle bright in the sun. Along the edges of the paths, drifts of fallen leaves, tawny, apricot, russet. A bird flies across her path and lands in front of her.

Once she starts noticing them, crows are everywhere. Sharp beaks, watchful eyes.

Love is patient, love is kind. But perhaps the Corinthians got it completely wrong. Perhaps

it’s the other way round. Kindness is love. That’s all there is. There’s nothing else.

“What would happen if one of those birds got lost? And what would happen if it flew as high as the moon? And what would happen if one bird had two nests?”