Since long before our birth

I heard a thump this morning,
and flew to the window to find
a tiny sparrow had broken her neck,
flying into her own reflection.
I held her in my hand
and felt the echo of your love for me;
a tenderness, as I watched her eye
slowly close, and felt the warmth
fade quietly away from her feathered breast.
How foolishly we, too, break our necks
and backs, bending over backward
to please and enhance our own reflections,
never looking past the face
made in the image of God
to see the love that has cradled us
and cared for us without reserve
since long before our birth...