Anne says goodbye to the bird life that she loves

Anne says goodbye to the bird life that she loves

Along the winding path not far from our abode,

Ottawa’s breath lingering in dew,

the blue jays’ chatter fractures the fragile morning.

Ah, my dearest Anne, you cannot hear them now,

your eyes drifting to the city life beneath your hospital window,

ears perked, seeking in vain the sounds that once carried solace.

Cardinals flash in the elms, maples, and conifers lining the path,

their scarlet notes once called us home.

Now, their song is a memory you cannot hold,

your silence mapped in greying irises,

a sorrow that gathers, unspoken.

Along the path, woodpeckers drum against hollowed trunks.

We used to hear their rhythm as an invitation,

now their vibrant rapping tolls a slow farewell.

The birds sing on, indifferent

to the silent curtain falling,

each note a distance that cannot be crossed,

each song a world you are leaving, unheard.

The Byron Linear Tramway Park is a scenic, 2.5 km paved pathway in Ottawa running between Holland Avenue and Richardson Avenue through Wellington Village and Westboro. It is five minutes from our home. This accessible, tree-lined green space is ideal for walking, jogging, and cycling, offering a calm, shaded, well-maintained route popular from April to October – and throughout the winter as well.

Anne loved this path so much that she wants her embers scattered there.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/ontario/byron-park-pathway

https://mindtrip.ai/attraction/ottawa-ontario/byron-linear-tramway-park/at-JNoioyYo

Key birds and wildlife at Byron Trail:

Year-round residents: Black-capped Chickadees, Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Blue Jays.
Birds of prey: Cooper’s Hawk and owls are sometimes spotted.

Eastern Cottontail rabbits are also frequent visitors along the Byron Park Pathway.