By Abhi Thanikella, Mill Pond School sixth grade student, Westborough
Photo/submitted
Once upon a time,
a tan and brown house sparrow,
A jet
Zipping
through
Thick
traffic,
dark clouds
Of toxic nitrous oxide
to weave a nest
for her future fledglings.
Sparrow toiled meticulously
weaving her straw nest,
high above the slate rooftops.
But she could not help but notice
As she peaked into the human’s nest
Families divided by screens
Staring zombie-like
Still and barely breathing or
Looking at
Each other
Every day she
Had to
dodge
these humans,
Looking at screens.
Life was a struggle
One day, a disease
COVID-19, emerged.
Like a predator stalking its prey
Like a cage that
Trapped the humans inside
No more traffic
No more nitrous oxide
No more fight for its life
NO MORE HUMANS COMING OUTSIDE
Everything changed.
Human families reunited
Humans looking eye-to-eye
No more screens
No more zombies
Animals and birds
Returning from the shadows
Lakes and rivers
Become reflections of the sky
Life became a smooth river
Then Spring arrived.
Young flowers poked out of the ground
And faced the Sun
For the first time.
The scent of
Flowers and grass
Wafted through the air
Her fledglings cracked through their shells.
The little sparrow
Knew this would not last
F o r e v e r
So she savored it
While
It lasted
