There once was a beautiful bird
Who lived among a forest of predators
This bird was somewhat old
Though her spirit aged in reverse
But if you ever called this bird old
She would squawk
And squawk
And squawk some more
To the point
Where you’d think she’s about
To peck your eyes out
Oh but she wouldn’t
Never in her wildest dreams
She wouldn’t hurt a soul
Because her overwhelmingly large heart
Was purely gold
Her heart was so heavy
And full of love
That is sometimes weighed her down
Causing her to fall
From her spot high in the tree,
From the pedestal
We all placed her on,
Hitting every branch on the way down
Oh but she always ended up carrying on
See,
This bird was not only kind,
But the strongest you’ll ever meet
She could always
Pick herself back up
And she wasn’t afraid
To look those predators in the eye
And tell them who she belonged to
Jesus Christ was her savior
And the only one
She ever allowed to help her
Though, many of us were there
And offered her all the help in the world
How could we not?
Not only was her heart made of gold
But it could outshine the sun
And anyone she ever encountered
Was left in complete awestruck wonder
However,
Although she dished it,
She denied any and all help
That is,
Until the end came
The bird hit too many branches
She had reached the bottom of the tree
At the roots
There were no more branches to catch her
She only rested on a bed of rough needles
Stuck in a homemade nest
That was way too boring and cold
For this lively, warm bird
See,
This bird was not an owl,
Though she was undeniably a ‘hoot’
And filled with well-earned wisdom
This bird wanted to fly
Soar away to somewhere better

Then
The end came
She finally fell from the nest
Oh but she felt no pain
Not anymore, anyway
She was relieved
She was saved
Hitting the bottom enabled her to fly
And those of us who knew her
Didn’t realize how dark the world really was
Until she flew home
She will be missed
But she left with each of us
A feather
A memory
An imprint on our souls
Signed,
“I Love Y’all,
Don’t worry bout me,
‘Cause I’m a Tough Old Bird”