In March of 2020, a new way of living began for me…

Living alone, the longing for connections was only beginning.  But, by the end of March and into April, it was becoming apparent that the ‘new way of living’ alone and seeking connections wasn’t to be a short-lived experience. I began to look for a sign of hope in the midst of the struggle of adjusting, accepting, and the  longings.  My sign of hope arrived in early spring through the song of a robin and returned each day, well into summer.  By the time he was ready to move on with another phase of his life, he had planted his song in my heart and chosen the long, sunny days as the time for me to learn to cope with life without him.  I missed him, but I knew it was time.  It’s been almost a year since our bond began.  I am trying to hold back my impatient longing to hear and see him again.  His is a voice that sustains me in my struggle with this ‘new way of living’.  I wrote these words from within the memory of that sustenance…

Tree Top Song

As darkness melds into the light of dawn,

A song trills its way into my being.

A lone robin chants his morning announcements,

Of what?

Of “Love!” beckoned to another?

Of “Time to get up, it’s a new day.”?

Of “Hallelujah! Let’s start again to praise the Lord.”?

Of “Thank you for the air and the light and a tree top perch.”?

The haiku rhythm of his call,

3 syllables, pause, 3 syllables, pause,

Has come to be

         a communication I long for,

         a companion I rely on,

         a predictability I need.

Come back, tomorrow, please.

I long for,

I rely on,

I need,

And I love

All that you bring,

As the darkness melds into the light of dawn.

The love call

The wake up call

The ‘hallelujah’ call

The ‘thank you, thank you, thank you’ call

For the air and the light and the hope in the tree top song.

By Susan Ceely Philips