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The Girl Who Gets Gifts from Birds

Lenny DellaRocca

 

*an erasure poem from an online Feb. 2015 BBC News article

by writer and broadcaster Katy Sewall.*

 

 

This is her most precious collection: small pieces of brown glass worn smooth

 

by the sea, a broken light bulb, miniature silver ball, blue paper clip, yellow

 

bead, faded black piece of foam, blue Lego piece sitting on the edge of the bird-

 

bath. Each item a gift given to her by crows. Sometimes they give the kind of

 

presents they would give to their mate — dead baby birds. This object is one of

 

her favorites: a heavily rusted screw she prefers not to touch. You don't see a

 

crow carrying a screw unless it's trying to build its house. Gabi's relationship

 

with crows began accidentally, a kind of transformation. They understand each

 

other's signals. The crows were watching her.

PHOTO CREDIT: ALEX MEDIATE

COPYRIGHT © 2017, THE BLUESHIFT JOURNAL, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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