Don't Fence Me In

My mind wants to be with Crow today-- Who am I kidding? Every part of me wants to be with Crow today and everyday--

He calls from outside my work window incessantly. The flocks of Starlings and Sparrows are returning from their winter travels for the new Spring and the Crows stand sentinel over the roadway. They perch high on the telephone poles and caw; warning the flocks of approaching cars as they graze in the field by the side of the road. I feel closed away by the expanse of cement, chain-linked fence, and road that stand between me and the little oasis of nature here on the edge of an urban sprawl. This few acre triangle of land is so close as to see it, and much within it, from the window in my tower. Somewhere under the young Oak, Tedmund the Groundhog lies slumbering and dreaming. From my perch, I see the Crows watch over the flocks, the Kestrels hunt from the tree tops, and lone Turkey Vultures spiral over the scene from time to time. I've heard that Coyote has made an appearance to drink from the water run-off culvert that leads to a small wooded area but I haven't seen him for myself. It makes me sad to see the blatant example of our encroachment to their habitat but I also feel blessed to have them close by, as I grind away at a mundane job, reminding me that I'm a part of their world.