The Spirits of the Parrots

SPIRITS OF THE PARROTS Two parrots, one red, one blue, share one large, rotund zoo cage, just the two of them. There are plenty of perches, yet they sit on the same one, close together, looking over a feast of fruit and seeds to share. They make no noise, as if in silent prayer before their meal. Where are those parrots today? Where is the cage? Can we see their spirits flying past the zoo, over the city, up and down the state, across the country? When they fly through clouds and rest on phone wires, can they see rallies on street corners, counter-rallies opposite, each group waiting for the other to offend them, just so they can lash out with swear words and name-calling, refusing to even look for common ground? No, most likely, they stay in heaven, flying close together, exploring the new Jerusalem, eating fruit from the tree of life, the red one and the blue one. -Jennifer Fenn