A Speckled Wing-Gift

I crept along the balcony railing to see if any water was left in my little acorn bowl after the sparrow drank. The cap was almost dry, but right beside it on the warm wooden rail lay a tiny, speckled downy feather! I carefully picked it up between two fingers. It was so light and fuzzy, like a soft whisper from the sky. To keep the afternoon breeze from blowing it over the ledge, I wedged its pointed quill right into the cracked bark of a geranium stalk. Now it flaps like a tiny banner!