Playing the Wounded Bird - A cautionary tale

Before you play the wounded bird

think of the charadrius vociferus

commonly known as the killdeer.

Because she builds her nest in shortgrass fields

and sometimes parking lots, nature compensates

with a behavior called injury feigning.

She attempts to protect her fledglings

by making a strident and piping sound

as she hops on the ground,

and flaps a fake broken wing

hoping to fool the cunning coyote

with a plaintive over here, over here.

As I  walk down a country road

and harken to her  cry,

I  reply, “I am not your enemy.”  

Driven by fear and destined by nature

ever to be the wounded bird,

she’s incapable of grasping  that distinction.

And  you?