Not an Eagle: Better

 On a sunny warm autumn day, I sat down beside her on the buddy bench, "Nobody want's to be my friend, they just don't like me because of my color." I took a deep breath and held it. I knew that there would be more to say. She lifted her chin, looked at me in the eyes and repeated, "They don't like my color." It was then that she plucked at the stretchy fabric of her pants between her small thumb and index finger, "My pants are the wrong color...I'm different."  

Many years ago now, I received an early morning phone call from a mother of one of my children's friends. She needed to know if it was a pink day. It seemed that her daughter was sitting on the edge of her bed crying because she couldn't remember if she was allowed to wear pink on that day. I had no idea what she was talking about back then; but I remember to this day that phone call.

It seems that for a planet so full of diversity, an oddity that on this Vermont autumn day near the peak of color and at the same place, that these experiences would merge in my thoughts. 

It came in low on wing from the south not long after the morning damp was finally lifted. The children noticed at once shouting in chorus, "An eagle! An eagle!" It dipped slightly more in a graceful arc causing every child in its view to give chase.  For a moment I considered that it might not clear the garage; but with great black wings spread, the bird lifted itself up landing just to the side of the peak. Its back to the playground and its head to the fields the bird suddenly appeared clumsy as it slipped slightly on the metal roof. 

Their cheering brought more cheers as the bird righted itself on the peak and faced them. I foolishly felt the need to inform them in their jubilation that it was in fact not an eagle, but rather a Turkey Vulture. They began chanting "caw caw caw" and the bird responded by spreading out its wings. I wondered why given the commotion, that it didn't simply fly off to a more peaceful place. Louder than before they sang "Caw, caw, caw!" The children spread their own wings as they ran around in circles and then   stared in anticipation of the great bird answering them again. 

Photo by Tessa Carpenter

 

Photo by Tessa Carpenter

Photo by Tessa Carpenter

I spoke with other adults there that day who were equally amused by the children's excitement over the "eagle" answering their call to play. We spoke about it however in adult terms and decided that the bird was in reality a juvenile Turkey Vulture drying off and warming up before continuing on with its first migration to the Carolinas.  None of this of course had mattered to the children who had instantly discovered a new friend.

The child on the buddy bench though completely earnest in their conversation, was interrupted by a classmate wanting them to play. Without so much as a farewell, they leapt from the bench with a huge grin and together they ran off leaving me to my thoughts.

As for the little girl who didn't know if it was a pink day, she is now the mother of a most amazing little girl who causes me to smile at her resemblance to her mother and like her mother, I know that one day she will spread her wings and fly -Norma Manning