Feed the Birds



Feed the Birds


"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag..."


Do you remember that poignant scene from Mary Poppins in which the elderly woman is feeding the birds in front of the cathedral? Sometimes when I see a flock of pigeons in the square that scene pops into my brain. 

It was no different this morning. "Feed the birds..." was playing in my head as if I were watching the movie again. Only the main character was a man, one with dark skin. He was sitting on a bench in front of the cathedral, reaching inside a plastic bag for birdseed. (It actually looked a lot like dry oatmeal. Maybe it was.) Pigeons–gray, blue, light brown–flocked around him and landed on the bench behind him or beside him.

Immediately , my eyes welled up. Was it because the scene reminded me of my favorite childhood movie? Maybe.

But there was more to it. There was something pure, something genuine in the feeding of the birds that Mary Poppins had understood. And the fact that this man–like the bird woman in the movie–was spending his extra coins on the birds.

Why is it the poor who feed the birds in both cases? Is it because it makes them feel useful? Or do the birds keep them company? Maybe they feel more at home communicating or caring for birds than they do with other humans, including themselves. Perhaps it gives them lots of beings to love.

I went on my way, leaving the birds and their feeder to thier intimacy.

Later, I passed by the bench again where the bird feeder had been. Now he was sitting in the shade, pressed up against the church. I paused before crossing in front of the bench, making sure I had a coin to offer.

He noticed me coming and said thank you as he looked into my eyes. There were no coins in his cup yet. I didn't want to drop the fifty cent piece in there, letting it clank before settling into dullness. So, I put it in his hands. 


It's the most human thing I've done in a while.



Photo: <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/inway-8660028/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4251739">Dmitrii Bardadim</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4251739">Pixabay</a>

Text: Kristen Mastromarchi


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