Outside
Raven passed the window several times
cawing as he went
over and over
throughout the day
telling his Raven secrets to the sky

Inside
Parrot preened—
her green feathers spread out from the tail like a fan
(showing off)
but Raven couldn’t see her
and so
the show was wasted

This went on for days

Raven flew past
cawed

Parrot preened
to no avail

One day
she got to go outside—
she hung in her iron cage from the front porch
eating her store-bought parrot kibble (shaped like fruit)
and sunned herself like a feathered jewel
glistening green in the summer sun from inside the iron bars
—but still
she was happy
(she knew no difference)

Raven
took flight from his nearby willow tree
riding the afternoon wave of air currents
like the sky surfer he was
and
expertly showing off—
he held himself aloft
and stretched himself wide open
and was at his most impressive as he passed in front
of Parrot in her fancy cage

She stared—
stunned at his vast shiny blue-black wingspan
as he glided without much apparent effort
showing off as he passed
his black feet kept camouflaged against his underbody
like a secret he had promised never to tell
and then a few moments later
he turned and came back through —again
cawing loudly
as he passed Parrot
who watched him silently
from inside her iron cage
her green head turning to follow him
as he disappeared
back into the large willow
once again

She stood on the perch
in the cage
facing the willow

She was silent

She began to preen

A loud caw split the breeze
in the huge willow’s waving tendrils
opening their hanging fluttering green leaves
like a door in a home
and Raven emerged in a black blast of flight
from somewhere within its hidden branches
and dived into the current of air skillfully
like a jet fighter—
he passed Parrot once more
as she stood on her perch inside her fancy iron cage—
her deep green tail feathers newly cleaned
with its smaller red under-tail area held just so;
She tilted her head to the right—
the pupil of her left eye
(mounted on the side of her head as it was)
dilated open, and then tightened back down as Raven passed
She shook her tail feathers three times
and then fanned them out rather flamboyantly
and began to climb the inside of the iron bars
keeping the underside of her tail exposed
facing the direction of his usual flight

She climbed slowly —tail still fanned
(like a Señorita dragging her layered lace gown
behind her as she clacks her castañets for emphasis)

Parrot paused
showing her tail’s red under-feathers as she held them there
against the iron bars of the fancy cage—
her lovely bright green outer-feathers framed the light red ones
in superb contrast as she held on
tail fanned out
knowing he would pass

And the breeze came —and with it
Raven
and he cawed loudly –many times
as he flew past the iron cage with
Parrot
inside showing off her ruby and emerald splendor
and he went back into his willow
thinking himself only black
only carbon-colored like the leftovers from the burnt forests—
until he remembered the legend he had heard once:
That the most precious “gem” of all is Diamond
and it is made from carbon; black, black carbon—
carbon that is loved hard enough,
and long enough,
and hot enough by Mother Earth
that it turns clear like sparkling water

Raven thought he would try to find one of these
and bring it to Parrot—
She would look into the radiant clear stone
and she would see
Raven’s wings waving in sunshine
dazzling from within
—and she would think of him.