A moment of peace and joy at the playground, and a neatnik crow

by Marlene Berlin

It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning. I was walking by Forest Hills Playground on Chesapeake. And I heard the mingling of many joyful voices.

Kids were in the sandbox chatting away. Others were on the track giving their scooters a workout. Their grownups were nearby, shooting the breeze or soaking up the sun and enjoying a quiet moment.

I wanted to capture this soul-soothing scene. It was a moment of peace amidst the strife swirling around us locally, nationally, and internationally.

As I walked away from the playground and toward the ballfield, I realized a crow was trying to get my attention. Perched on the fence next to the field, it was cawing and looking straight at me. The crow did not fly away as I stopped.

It seemed to be trying to draw my attention to the trash can by the bleachers. Nothing seemed amiss from the sidewalk side. Then, the crow started pulling trash from the other side, and when it flew away, I walked over to see garbage jammed in the opening.

I found a stout stick and unjammed it, then used another stick to pick up the garbage on the ground.

Was this what the crow wanted? The bird, by then, had left the scene, so I’ll never know. Still, I found myself wishing all our problems were this easy to resolve. Doing something simple, like picking up trash and unstuffing a garbage can, can make you feel better. I certainly felt that I made a small difference at the playground. So thank you, crow!