two birds

we have strange animals in our neighborhood.

every night, at around 1 or 2 in the morning, there is a raucous night bird which i have called the "wind up bird." i originally began hearing it not long after my grandmother died, when i would stay up long into the night, contemplating nothing and everything... this bird would start singing loudly in the valley behind our house, apparently completely unaware that it was supposed to be sleeping and dreaming. it actually has a large repertoire of songs, but the one it keeps returning to (and the reason i call it the "wind up bird") are a three tone question: "are [middle] you [low] awake [high]?" it sings this over and over and over again, as though trying to echo-locate its lost partner, its nightowl paramour...

every morning, at around 7 or 8 in the morning, there is a tapping on our downstairs bathroom window. this window has a light reflective tint on it, so if you are on the outside, it will look like you are seeing a dull reflection of yourself. anyway, there's a mejiro (japanese rice eye, a small green bird with a bit of yellow at its throat and a white underbelly, and characteristic white rings around its eyes) that is convinced that it is seeing another mejiro, and repeatedly tap tap taps against the window, as though trying to kiss it, or perhaps free it from its wall of glass...

strange. two different birds at two different times of the day, but both seem to follow the same pattern: lonely, calling out, tapping the unresponsive walls for some kind of response. reminds me of soul asylum lyrics:

"cuz i want somebody to shove
i need somebody to shove
i want somebody to shove me."

if only they could somehow find each other. but they are different species, living on different bus schedules...