I Left You A Feather...

"Hope" is a thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

-Emily Dickinson

...a feather on the breath of God.

-Hildegard von Bingen

I left you a

Feather !

love, Alexis

While out briefly one afternoon, two of our little-uns dropped by with their mother, in order to leave the grand-dog with us for a sleepover. We were sorry to miss them, (the humans that is... we got to see the dog), but the upside was finding this,

the perfect note. 

(See above.)

We love feathers around here, (it has become a bit of a game), and of course the creatures to which they were once attached... our regular birdfeeder visitors:

blue jays, sparrows, doves, blackbirds. 

And the not quite as regular:

cardinals, grosbeaks, warblers, robins,

and sometimes even Canada geese...

The bully blue jays, or as we call them, blockheads (a 'Gumby' reference), are like a gang in the Spring and early Summer, swooping down on others and causing minor disturbances in the bird world in order to pig out on the seed all for themselves, often shedding a feather or two in the process. 

These beautiful (detached) feathers are great for art-making, such as

 dream-catchers, mobiles, wall hangings, and any mixed media art.

Farther afield, (in our quieter, lonelier, more spacious top field), it is not uncommon to come across a wild turkey feather, a feather especially coveted for its 'Harry Potter' uses.

(See below.)

                                    

But more than being useful, there is just something about finding a feather.

I remember singing about feathers as a small child - feathers and angels -

a song from my earliest childhood. 

In my first year of school, (begun on my fifth birthday), I was taught by one of the Brigidine sisters at St. Joseph's, Orakei in Auckland NZ. 

I faintly remember songs and prayers, and 'swapsies', (my collection of religious stickers),

 and something to do with

feathers and angels.

I can almost hear it, in my far away not-quite-forgotten past:

When feathers appear, angels are near.

Hildegard von Bingen, 12th century German abbess, writer, composer, philosopher and visionary knew a bit about feathers too.

The feather flew, not because of anything in itself but because the air bore it along. 

Thus am I "A feather on the breath of God.."

 I have no trouble buying into it, the spiritual aspect of feathers.

 I so want a feather to be a sign. 

Maybe a sign of strength or wisdom, or that someone in the heavens is thinking of us.

Perhaps it is true that a feather connects us with our ancestors.

As it flutters gently to the ground, perhaps it is carrying a message.

A message of hope, (a thing with feathers), as Emily Dickinson muses...

perching in my soul.

Or perhaps it carries a message of love,

a message which may be a special delivery from a great, great grandmother.

 A gift of love, 

(just like the gift of love written on a scrap of paper by an eight-year-old in July 2020

with feather attached), 

 Perhaps the message is saying,

I left you a feather.

Love.