I came out this morning to find a raven lying in the street under our power pole. I put on work gloves and picked it up. It had a heavy, healthy feel to it, and it bore not one trace of damage or corruption. Every glossy black feather was present and accounted for; the marvelously adapted feet were loosely curled under the body; and the beautiful head with its homely, workman-like beak rested quietly in my palm. It was obvious what had happened.

Many birds like to roost on our power lines, and due to some of the darker realities of the dark magic that is electricity, it is safe to do this only if no part of one’s body, not a feather or a claw, should brush against a second line. If this happens, if a stretching black wing should complete the circuit for even a millisecond, then the lights that really matter go out.

I carried that perfect creature down to the beach at an exceptionally high tide and laid it to rest in a curved spot between a rounded boulder and a piece of driftwood. I moved some grass and twigs over the body and wished the spirit well.

I have read that ravens are startlingly intelligent; that they can discern the various human faces that they encounter, and that they will remember and bear a grudge against humans who have disappointed them. Have you come outside to find your car strafed by bird poo, or your garbage spread for half a mile down the street? Has your rear-view mirror been wrested from its pedestal? Have you been unkind to a raven at some point?

I wish I could explain. Of course, I don’t speak Raven, or Possum, or Skunk, or Armadillo, but if I did I would try to make it clear that human technology doesn’t follow the rules laid down by evolution. A high place is not always a safe place. A car will not be dissuaded if you pretend to be dead or spray noxious chemicals at it. Your magnificent retractable armor protects you against many things, but the wheels of a semi are not among those things.

I would hazard a guess that everybody wants there to be a heaven, and further that everybody wants to take their favorite animals there. If anyone upstairs is taking requests, I’d like to reserve some space for animals that I don’t know personally but have gotten a raw deal on account of me and mine.

For your further edification:

Ravens Remember People Who Have Wronged Them: Study | Time