He was not an ornithologist,
but did enjoy watching birds.
He was looking while walking,
tripped, slammed his head,
and woke in a hospital bed
whistling.
Experts, both bird and brain,
examined him. To questions
of dates and presidents, he answered
in coos, caws, tweets, and shrieks.
When played the songs of meadow larks
and canyon wrens, he trilled back in kind.
The man who spoke bird was released
into the wilds of family, talk shows,
and neuroscience symposiums.
He endured the nick name of Bird Brain
and embraced communication on Twitter
for he could still write. Yet he grew despondent.
Eventually, he tried to end it all
by slamming into a window.
He awoke in a hospital bed
as a nurse adjusted his pillow.
He rolled over, growled,
and bit her.
