Blackbirds Fly

 

Late Saturday afternoon we drove along Banks Lake as the wind whipped up the waves while the large and small birds of the air fought the air currents, making little headway.

 

On a side road we were pleasantly provided a chorus of a flock of blackbirds– singing to one another, hovering away from the wind on the branches of bare trees, where, in a moment’s warning, they fly together to safety.

 

Immediately, the mind begins the lyrics… “black bird sitting in the dead of night”

Of course, at the beginning of Black History Month, it is only a gift to have this reminder, and a look at the origin of the song– racial tensions in the United States:

Story at Audubon: What the Beatles Song Blackbird is Really About

For more resources for Black History Month, visit these sites:

Larry Ferlazzo: Black History Month Teaching/Learning Resources

KQED: On TV Black History Month

PBS: Black Culture Connection

 

I’m so thankful that most of the world is connecting and learning about each other, joyful in our diversity. I’m so thankful for the songs and poetry, the resources and conversations, that make our people united in our humanity.

---

Blackbirds Fly 

Singing a chorus

of chatter and chirp,

a startle silences

the song as away

blackbirds fly,

spurting up and out,

a wave together

flowing on the wind

in a black cloud

of silence,

dancing in perfect unison

until dropping off,

one by one,

onto outreaching branches

of waiting cottonwoods,

a place that’s safe

for more songs saluting their

wondrous existence.

---