September 1st, 1914 -- September 1st, 2014 The 100th Anniversary of the Death of Martha The Passenger Pigeon

It was Sept. 1st, 1914. It was 100 yrs. ago, between 1pm and 4 pm, that "Martha" the last Passenger Pigeon lay dying alone in her cage at the Cincinnati Zoo. No one noticed she had fallen from her perch, no one came to help her, she was found dead sometime after 4pm that day. They once numbered in the BILLIONS and darkened the sky for HOURS as they flew by, you could hear them before they were ever seen. She was the last one, the last of her species, Sept. 1st, 1914 was a sad day for humanity. Today I am in mourning for what was lost that day. Today I took Pepe and placed him by our window. He looks different today, he looks dejected and depressed. He looks like he is watching the sky, I would swear his head moved as if he is listening. Watching and listening for the BILLIONS of his dead friends, watching and listening for the beginning of the flock that would darken the sky. He looks like he is ready to fly away, he looks like he is about to join the first flock he sees. He and I are  watching, he and I are listening, he and I are hoping for something that will never be again. We do this every year on Sept. 1st, year after year. Its' been 100 years now and nothing. The skies are silent and have been for 100 years but we do not lose hope. When I see dark clouds in the distance or hear a strange fluttering sound carried in the wind, I always grab Pepe. I grab him and I take him outside. I grab him in hope they are back. I grab him and wait. I grab him and hope. I grab him so he can fly away but they never come.