The Presence of Crows

I live in the suburbs where nature is contained and cultivated to be a pleasing background when driving around doing errands- flowers planted in rows, small trees in planter pots, carefully trained vines on trellises.

But one part of suburban nature can’t be controlled- crows. More often I hear them than see them. A “caw” when I am picking up my mail or taking out the trash. Nature saying, “Here I am.”

I see crows in the parking lots of the strip malls feeding on “trash” singly or in groups, oblivious to me. One sits on the handle of a shopping cart- a perfect photo opportunity- but flies away before I can take the picture. But another one patiently poses for me on a cart bumper on a different day.

Crows give us suburbanites a reminder- that nature is free even in our carefully cultivated lives.