Story Info
Story Info
Alison Cornish
Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
2023
Type of Wounded Place
Story & Experience
In the garden that I share with our neighbor, there is a row of blueberry bushes, and then another of raspberries. It’s getting closer to harvest for both, so the blueberry bushes are now shrouded in a light fabric to protect them from the birds. Last year, the same bushes were covered with a fine mesh netting which has become commonly used in this area to protect plants from deer. But one day a beautiful male cardinal became entangled in the netting, unable to free himself. Jan and I tried so hard to free him – but he died in our hands. He was one half of a mating couple that had made the backyard home for several years, and we were both devastated – both by his death, and by how it happened. The tension. Our enjoyment, and yes, hunger, for fresh food – and the needs of the animals who share our home.
In the garden that I share with our neighbor, there is a row of blueberry bushes, and then another of raspberries. It’s getting closer to harvest for both, so the blueberry bushes are now shrouded in a light fabric to protect them from the birds. Last year, the same bushes were covered with a fine mesh netting which has become commonly used in this area to protect plants from deer. But one day a beautiful male cardinal became entangled in the netting, unable to free himself. Jan and I tried so hard to free him – but he died in our hands. He was one half of a mating couple that had made the backyard home for several years, and we were both devastated – both by his death, and by how it happened. The tension. Our enjoyment, and yes, hunger, for fresh food – and the needs of the animals who share our home.
Why this Place?
Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
A memory that arose while I was working in the garden on June 18th.
Act of Beauty
Say more about your actions and activity
I created this Radical Joy bird, which you can barely see, to represent the spirit of the male cardinal – his beauty and uniqueness. And I did it under the new cloth, hopefully less lethal to birds (but what about the insects and other pollinators??) to represent my grief of having been a part of his demise.
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