Of Sparrows and the Fall

 “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors
with birth pangs together until now.”
Romans 8:22

The sparrow is a vicious beak
And thinks she owns the seeds I pour
Into the feeder once each week;
It is an unremitting war
Between this sparrow and that finch,
Between the wrens and cardinals,
Making the very soul to flinch
To see the bloody carnival.

I would cry, if it helped to speak,
“There is enough! There is enough!
I fill the feeder every week,
And all are welcome at my trough!”
While overhead, the red-tailed hawk
Orbits alone with slow descent,
Then stooping, singles from the flock
One sparrow for her dark intent.

St. Paul was right: we are not all
The creatures injured at the Fall.

September, 2022