black wing

Crows are one of my favourite birds. Isn't it lucky for me that they are everywhere?
Want a challenge? See if you can go an entire day without seeing one.
Good luck.
From my perch in front of the window I can see a crow equally perched on a streetlamp.
It has been preening for several minutes now. Preening with gusto.
A second crow briefly joined it but found the beauty routine too frenzied and drifted off into the mist.
I've never noticed such a high maintenance crow before.
Every feather on each wing has been inspected and adjusted.
The tail has been repeatedly shaken out.
Under the wing, over the wing, up and down and front and back.
And ten and nine, and hold, and lift....
Oh, I get it.
It's not a crow spa, it's a crow gym.
It is readying itself for the acrobatic life it leads in the air.
Wings and feathers are more than beauty accessories to a crow.
They are the beauty itself;
Black wings against gray sky.