Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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Bird Talk--Three Thousand Miles Apart. I was talking on the phone with my friend, Leland. I was in California, but a former Easterner, And he was in Pennsylvania, territory I knew well. When I talk on the phone, I often attempt to visualize Just what the speaker is doing or where heesh might be. Leland was walking outdoors amongst his sights and sounds. Suddenly, I interrupted to query, focussing on a prominent bird call. Is that a Cardinal I asked? Leland doesn't know birds--let alone calls. He walked towards the sound--a questionable brownish bird--a sparrow. No. I urged him to explore further and suddenly He described a flash of red--perhaps a robin? Upon closer scrutiny, he declared--"No, all red !" With that, he declared, "Right, a Cardinal !" Fun to bird watch from sound only and thus be part of Leland's world. Frank Maurer 27 April 2024. 0930 Hours.