today i found a bird
who was as hideous as me
oil stained and crusted over
balding,
crying like any bird should.
only softer.
i looked at him
up in his nest, alone
without a chick to feed.

and as he cried,
soft and softer,
his feathers shaking against the sticks
he looked at me, hard,
like any bird would.
only kinder.
and all the sudden,
he was
beautiful.