Swooping low
over the river’s surface,
a silent osprey
bears a bold branch,
twice the bird’s length and weight.

I marvel
as the bird hefts the limb
atop a nest in progress.

Ospreys
do not build convenient nests.
Ospreys
build high in trees,
on river pylons.

Watching nearby
the mother osprey
bobs her head,
as if to say
“Well done. We will be ready.”

One must admire the osprey
building such an exposed shelter
of boughs, bark and jetsam
for the next generation.

Humans,
on the other hand,
build fortresses,
cribs lined with downy comfort.

I wonder
which offspring
are better prepared?