In Memory of Tweetie Sweetie

By Anastasia, 14, California

I was sitting by the helm,

Watching the blue waves move past,

When your green plumage caught my eye.

You were smaller than my hand’s length,

And didn’t make a sound as you jumped,

Jumped around the ropes with cheer.

I assumed it was best to watch at a distance.

I didn’t expect any bond between us,

Until you chose me as your friend.

Your first move was surprising, birdie.

I suddenly felt your presence on my head.

My sister joked that I was your new nest.

When I touched you, you were soft.

You shivered underneath my fingertips,

And flew away with alarming speed.

With you gone, my sister gave you a name.

Tweetie Sweetie, as sweet you were.

Our boat’s little stowaway.

I thought that was the closest we’d get to each other.

But I was proven wrong.

(My hair must be a nice nest).

I was by the helm, the breeze on my skin,

when I felt your weight on my head again,

And my back started to tingle.

I grabbed my dad’s phone excitedly

And filmed the amazing moment,

Getting your green self on the screen’s frame.

You soon flew away,

Distancing yourself from us, 

Refusing to take our food and water.

You died that night,

On our living room couch,

With your limbs outstretched unnaturally.

I looked at your corpse sadly,

And my sister told me that I should bury you,

The ocean destined as your grave.

I lifted your lifeless body,

Empty of warmth and breath.

You felt like a stuffed showcase in a museum.

Unnerved as I was,

I ventured to the transom

Watching the waves that would consume you.

I tossed you in, and saw your corpse swept away.

I could breathe a bit easier now,

Since you’d sleep in the ocean you loved.

I learned one thing from your death.

That love is truly amazing

But that it won’t always save lives.

Sheer emotion isn’t enough to prolong days.

No one can cheat the life cycle.

I’d just have to deal with loss.

You would never return,

But good things should be remembered,

Since life is beautiful.

So, I write this memorial,

To keep you in my mind and heart,

Tweetie Sweetie, the bird on a boat.

---

For context, I live on a boat and this work is inspired by something that occurred during one of our passages. I met this green bird, who we named Tweetie Sweetie. We discovered her literally a hundred miles away from shore as a secret stowaway. Tweetie and I quickly became close friends, starting when she sat in my hair unexpectedly. But then, she died on the night we met her. I threw her into the ocean, where her corpse would never be seen again. Honestly, the hardest part about writing this memorial was realizing what I had learned. At first, it was just a sad thing. But then her death stuck with me over time. And I’ve realized why: Tweetie’s death showed me that sheer love won’t keep something alive. My hope for the bird to live longer wouldn’t bend the laws of life and death. Sometimes, a person just has to deal with loss. So how are we supposed to do that? I had to put into practice what I had often heard, “They’re with you as long as you remember them.” That’s why I’ve written this memorial. To remember Tweetie Sweetie, and keep her in my heart.

Photo by David Clode