You're My Boy!

One evening when mama bird was tucking her son into bed, she whispered, “You’re my boy!” Baby bird, with his crooked smile and big blue-green eyes, returned his expression of love by saying, “You’re my girl!” The two started giggling. “You’re my autumn,” said mama bird. “You’re my orange leaf” said baby bird. For years mama bird and baby bird went through their ritual of “You’re my boy…You’re my girl.” The two giggled and snuggled, and baby bird always fell asleep peacefully. As life would have it, something very sad happened to the Bird family. Baby bird was in an accident and died. Mama had a difficult time singing. She had a difficult time giggling. She had a difficult time flying. She had a difficult time breathing without her baby bird. One autumn day mama was sitting on a bench in the park under a maple tree staring off into the river. It was evening – the sun was setting, and mama bird could hear her friends perched on a large willow, not too far away, singing goodnight lullabies to their babies. Mama’s eyes began to tear. “You’re my boy,” mama bird whispered. And she waited for his response. She hung her head and began to cry. All of a sudden, something caught mama bird’s attention. She looked to her side and noticed an orange leaf sitting next to her. “Well this must have fallen from this beautiful maple tree,” thought mama bird. But when mama looked up, she realized the tree had red leaves, and the leaf sitting next to her was burnt orange. Mama bird smiled…