3 Questions for this Mysterious Wise One

Recently my mother and I had an urge to visit an old friend named Lucy, a friend that always gives perspective to our world. Lucy is beautiful and regal and lives in an outside wooden structure on the grounds of our local Audubon Society. I always catch my breath in the presence of this amazing but injured Barred owl.

That day, we find Lucy standing in the back of her hut on her perch. Her feathers are a soft brown and white stripe, and her small, curved beak yellow. Her huge sharp black eyes take us in and give a slow blink. A sign says she’d been hit by a car several years ago. She can’t fly. Some kind soul brought her to the Audubon Society to live out the rest of her days. 

This March day is chilly and as we approach the Owl Hut, Mom and I pull our coats closer. We stand and take in Lucy. That’s when I imagine her answers to these three questions.…

How do you live outside all the time, in every climate and every condition?

I picture her responding, “How do you think I do it? Evolution. These feathers are for flying, cooling, warming, and protection from the rain. How do you live inside? How do you miss sunrises and sunsets and not feel the rustle of wind through your feathers and not be able to soar high above the earth? She turns away and then looks back at us, which brings me to my second question… 

What do you see when you take us in? 

I picture her responding, “I see two creatures without feathers and wings. They make strange sounds I can’t understand. I’m not sure why they come to see me, but seem to get some pleasure from it.”

Mom and I speak softly to her. Hello? How are you today? Lucy clicks her beak up and down as if trying to talk. On the floor, are the remains of a white mouse, (hopefully served dead) which she’d been pecking at for lunch. That leads me to my next question, which might be the hardest to answer…

Would you have preferred to perish in the woods rather than live this comfortable but unnatural life in the Audubon Society? 

I picture her responding, “I have no choice. I hear other owls around me, especially at night, and wish I could join them, but I can’t..”

I look at this Barred Owl and sense acceptance in her eyes. There’s nothing she can do. She could fly around her cage in frustration or even try and escape. But maybe on some level, she knows she’s being taken care of and protected. She would die in the wild.

Visiting the Barred Owl feels humbling, like a veil has lifted. Lucy gives perspective to our world, reminding us that another, vaster realm lies beyond our human hopes and suffering. I can ask questions all day but will never receive an answer. Our friend is mysterious and unknowable like much of nature.

“Goodbye,” we say softly. Lucy gives a long, slow blink before turning away.

 

Have you had an encounter with a wild creature? Comments are always welcome. If you’d like to receive posts by email, just press here. Thank you.