Playing the Wounded Bird A cautionary tale

Before you play the wounded bird
think of the charadrius vociferus
commonly known as the killdeer.
Because she builds her nest in shortgrass fields
and sometimes parking lots, nature compensates
with a behavior called injury feigning.

She attempts to protect her fledglings
by making a strident and piping sound
as she hops on the ground,
and flaps a fake broken wing
hoping to fool the cunning coyote
with a plaintive over here, over here.

As I  walk down a country road
and harken to her  cry,
I  reply, “I am not your enemy.”  
Driven by fear and destined by nature
ever to be the wounded bird,
she’s incapable of grasping  that distinction.

And  you?