Life Note

Today I found a Bumblebee lying on the sidewalk,

alone in the rain with no shelter or protection

from the droplets above,

threatening to make her unable to fly.

I stopped in my tracks next to her,

Crouching down slowly to reach out a lifeline for her

To give her a warm hand and a safe place to rest

I was never worried that this bee could have stung me, I didn't mind

and walked all the way home humming my songs with my bumblebee

I put her on a pretty red flower in my backyard

But the sky threatened us again with it’s clouds

So I sat with her in the pouring rain, my hand a shield from the danger

When the rain let up I moved her flower so she would be protected from the rain

I researched what I could do to help her as she moved sluggishly on the leaves,

my phone told me that she was probably just tired,

So I got to work and mixed water and sugar to give her energy

Someone driving past may have thought it was silly to stop for a bee

Or why I didn't leave her to be stepped on by someone not watching their feet

In February we found a bird, hiding in the corner of a dirty alcove,

We had never seen a bird like that, with that beak or those eyes,

But we had to get to class on time, so our walk to school continued

We researched the bird and found where it should be living

Which was hundreds of miles away from Philly

Neither of us could get the bird out of our heads

Scared, alone, confused, lost and unable to fly away

So we ventured out at lunch with a box, towel, and gloves

Excited to be able to get the bird somewhere much safer

When I captured the bird in my hands, I didn't fear it trying to scratch or peck me

I didn't hesitate to hold it firm even though it tried to get out and limp away.

As we brought that bird back school I called my mom and called the rescue,

And by the end of the day I had a bird in a box and was full of hope

I passed that bird off to the people that could really help it

And a week later we were told that bird had been helped and set free

People asked how we even noticed it in the first place

Or why on Earth we would ever go back for it

Last year I found a jumping spider crawling up my desk,

She hopped on my water bottle and didn’t try to leave

I carried her around all day in the same place, 

I even brought her home in a small dixie cup

She crawled on my hands and jumped on my fingers,

But I never worried if she could bite me, what would happen

Or if she jumped around my arms

It took me hours to figure out what kind if spider she was,

When I found it I couldn't even pronounce her species

But I knew that she was a friend and she didn’t belong in school

So I built her an enclosure with the greenest leaves and plenty of food,

And she got to work building a nest within hours.

After a while though, when the weather was finally nice,

I brought her outside to a big green plant in the garden

Full of bugs to eat where she could be free

And she hopped onto the branch and crawled further into her new home

I got asked why I would ever want to keep “something like it” at all,

Or why I didn’t squish her when I saw her on the table

Sometimes I do wonder why I always seem to stop

When I see an animal where it’s not supposed to be

When I find something that I want to help

When people pass by details like this every day 

Who wouldn’t give a bee a second glance

Or make a box for a bird out of place

Or let a spider sit on my water bottle

I’ve always been the kind of person to help hurt things

With no fear or hesitation of if they might be harmful

The lives of creatures so small are just as meaningful as ours

So I’ll always continue to stop for those bees, birds, and spiders.