Jordan Harvey, Senior, Biology Major from Nashville, TN
A bird chirps outside my window
It wakes me up at dawn
It sings a little morning tune
And just like that, it’s gone
I sing that little morning tune
As I get out of bed
And just when I thought I forgot
It pops back in my head
I see the bird throughout my day;
I make the bird my friend
I start to like the song it sings
And how it never ends
So every day, he wakes me up;
Each day, I sing along
He follows me, for months on end,
’til I start to hate his song
One morning, when he starts to chirp,
I get up and I shout
“I don’t want you here anymore!
Get out! Get out! Get out!”
He stares at me, my new enemy,
And almost seems to say
“Until you do not sing the song,
I cannot go away”
It’s then I realize:
Even when the bird is silent,
I still hear the song
It’s me who sings the morning tune
It has been all along
It’s silly and it’s stupid
But in my heart, I’ve always known
I’m the one who’s singing
And the melody’s my own
I’m sure that I’ll stop someday,
But I can’t do it now
It’s all too hard – and if I’m honest –
I do not know how
Each flutter of the falling leaves
Each swooping from the sky
Makes me hum a little bit
And makes me wonder why
A bird chirps outside my window,
It wakes me up at dawn
I see you everywhere I turn,
ever since you’ve gone.