I Am

(for our daughter, on the event of her departure) Once upon a time, a great blue heron stopped to rest from her travels, in a field. She closed her great and powerful wings, folded her long, long legs, shut her beautiful eyes, and went to sleep. When she awoke she found that she was not alone, for there, standing beside her in the field was a crow, and a sparrow, and a robin. The crow spoke first with his raspy voice. He said: “I am a handsome black crow. I clean the world of dead things, and old—and make it such a pleasant place to be. Your legs are much too long I see, but you should want to be like me.” The sparrow spoke next with a gentle chirp. She said: “I am a little sparrow, who flits from here to there. I grace the sky with beauty when my cousins and I roam, and fill the trees with music when we rest and call them home. Your wings are much too large I see, but you will want to be like me.” Last of all the robin spoke, with head held high and red breast filled with pride. She said: “I am a worker –you’ve seen me, I know. I usher in the spring each year and stay at work, through cold and snow. The others can’t compare to me (a fact that you can plainly see with vision much too sharp it seems). Of course, you’ll want to be like me.” After listening patiently, the Great Blue Heron sat thoughtfully for a moment— and then she said: “Thank you, Mr. Crow, and thank you, little sparrow, and thank you, Mrs. Robin— but I am a Great Blue Heron. My legs are long so that I might walk where others cannot walk, my wings are large so that I might fly where others cannot fly, and my eye is sharp, so that I might see what others do not see. This is who I am—a me I do so want to be.” And with those words she looked up into the sky, stood tall upon her long, long legs, stretched her great and powerful wings, and flew away.