![A male red poll. A male red poll.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d199da9-e8d8-4073-9c3d-61b1c63b854f_1600x1066.jpeg)
I find him limp beneath the window: a pile of feathers more than a bird.
He is weightless in my palm, his heartbeat so faint I fear I’m imagining it. I gather a cardboard box, flannel, grass.
Holes for light and air. A warm, sunny place.
He is beautiful, his body tin…