Iowa Writes

SHERRY GORDON
The Birds


The myna bird pair was quite a dynamic duo. They spoke very well, as fine imitators of our family's human voices. The birds' intelligence and the crisp, clean-cut quality of their voices were remarkable to behold.

My mother, father, older brothers, and I over sixteen years grew in love and attachment to these marvelous birds. Eventually, they grew old and died within six months of each other. My heart broke. Mother, Joe, and I held a funeral for our feathered friends. We made a cross out of tree limbs for a tombstone.

I am forty-three now. Once a month, I still dream of the midnight black colored myna birds. My heart yearns to see them in heaven. I will always love them.

It is amazing to see intelligence in all of god's creatures. We as human beings have a more sophisticated mental process; as my family and I saw in those beautiful birds, it is uncanny to witness the instinctual brilliance of simple animals. Animals can provide lessons for humankind.

About Iowa Writes

Since 2006, Iowa Writes has featured the work of Iowa-identified writers (whether they have Iowa roots or live here now) and work published by Iowa journals and publishers on The Daily Palette. Iowa Writes features poetry, fiction, or nonfiction twice a week on the Palette.

In November of 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Iowa City, Iowa, the world's third City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

Iowa City has joined Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia as UNESCO Cities of Literature.

Find out more about submitting by contacting iowa-writes@uiowa.edu


SHERRY GORDON

Sherry Gordon is originally from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and is a Christian, feminist, liberal, progressive woman. She attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the early 1980s; in September 1990, she relocated to Iowa on a Greyhound bus. She transferred to the University of Iowa, where she is currently a Women's Studies and Sexuality Studies major.

This page was first displayed
on September 12, 2006

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