A/N:

I was very hungry before I uploaded/edited this, so I had to eat to even get started.

As such, this poem has been fueled by Ramen! (Beef flavor, actually!)

Please review, and flames are welcome.

Enjoy...


One cool, clear evening in Rio, two Spix's Macaws were visiting the aviary nestled in the center of the jungle. They had dropped by in the late morning hours, much to the surprise and elation of Tulio and Linda. They had spent most of the day there, and they had a wonderful time.

Blu and Jewel sat and watched TV with them, dined on the food that Linda had cooked, and even played freeze tag, hide-and-seek, and I spy out behind the house with the three of them. Needless to say, they had worn themselves down, both physically and mentally.

They had glanced out of the window, only to see the fiery orb of the sun sinking down past the faraway horizon.

"I think it's time we head home, Jewel. I am dying to get some sleep! Even Tulio and Fernando have already gone to bed."

"Yeah, me too! I never knew having fun could eat up every ounce of your energy!"

However, Blu had planned a special surprise for his mate, and he had to send Jewel off so he could write it.

"Uh, Jewel?"

"Yes, handsome?"

"Could you go on home without me? I have to take care of something. It'll only take a few minutes."

She issued a discontented sigh and said, "If you say so, Blu. Just try not to keep me waiting..."

He trotted forward on the kitchen counter where they had been standing, and planted a reassuring kiss on her beak.

"I'll be over there as soon as I'm done."

"Alright, Blu. Bye!"

"Bye, honey!"

Jewel squawked softly, and Linda, who had been sitting on the couch with all alone, got the message.

"Are you ready to go? Well then, I'll let you out!"

Linda jumped up. walked over to the solid oak front door, and heaved it open. Jewel chirped one final time and jetted happily across the room. She flew past the door, and vanished into the tangerine glow of the setting sun. Linda turned back to Blu, motioning for him to leave.

He shook his head side to side and issued a defiant squawk.

"You're not going with her? Why? What do you want, Blu?"

He balanced himself on his left talon and clenched his right, as if he was holding a writing utensil. He wiggled his right talon around, as if he was writing on a non-existent sheet of paper.

"Oh! You want to write something! Is it for Jewel?"

He bobbed his head up and down, which made Linda giggle. He traced an intangible heart shape in the air with his foot, and Linda smiled as she took in what he was trying to convey.

"Awww, a love note?" she whispered. "That's so sweet! Here, I'll bring you a pencil and some paper..."

Linda made her way down the hall and disappeared into the treatment lab. She emerged not too soon after, and tucked under her left arm was a brown, rectangular object. She crossed the hall and passed into the computer room, where Tulio worked on and filed all of his paperwork.

Blu heard the door creak as it opened, and the *rush, rush* sound of Linda's feet on the carpet grew steadily louder. She appeared from around the corner and stopped directly in front of the counter. She set the brown object down in front of Blu, and the front of it was covered with a large sheet of white.

She then set a freshly sharpened pencil down next to it. The word Ticonderoga was stenciled down the side, in mirror-like green lettering.

Oh, a clipboard! How convenient! Linda sure knows how to go the extra mile...

"There you are, my big, brave boy," she intoned. "Be sure to make it extra special for her! I am going to head off to bed now, so good night! I'll pop open one of the windows for you beforehand..."

He extended his right foot, and they conducted their special "handshake," if one could call it that.

Linda then walked over to the tall, skinny window installed to the left of the front door. She gripped the bottom of it and heaved it open, leaving a sizable six inch gap.

She turned and tromped back down the hallway, her foot steps dragging noticeably.

Blu heard the staccato *click* of the doorknob, and he sighed happily.

Okay, extra special, just like Linda said. Like I wasn't going to write it that way to begin with! Okay, focus Blu, focus...

Gazing down at the blank notebook paper, he felt his soul stir, as if the smooth expanse was beckoning him to scribble upon it. He blinked, pressed the graphite to the cellulose, and began to write...


The construction of the poem swallowed up nearly half an hour, and Blu was glad that Linda had provided him with more than one sheet of paper. He had revised his work, albeit several times, before finally agreeing on a finished product.

He crumpled up the drafts that didn't make the cut, dropping them one by one into the kitchen trash. He forced up the metal jaw of the clipboard and extracted his three-page poem, being as he only worked on the front side of each.

He stacked it as neatly as his talons and beak allowed, and then pinched the top of the stack gently with both feet. He glided over to the window and slipped through, it being just wide enough for the sheets to pass through without being folded or crumpled.

The tangerine sky had darkened to a gooey black hue, punctuated by the myriad of stars suspended in it. Thankfully, the wind was dead calm, but he flew on at a languid pace nonetheless. The crinkling noise of the paper being ruffled by the airflow was all that he could hear.

Rising above the treetops, he spotted a tree-less patch of jungle off to his left, and he executed a steady descent directly towards it. The scale of the cannonball tree grew and grew, and just as Blu reached the clearing, it dwarfed him.

Just before he entered the hollow, he hovered and exclaimed, "I'm back, Jewel! I have a surprise for you! Close your eyes. I don't want you to see it just yet!"

Her familiar, fluid voice replied, "Really, Blu? Fine, I'll close my eyes. Okay, come on in..."

He flew into the hollow and hovered once again, unlocking his talons and letting the pages drift to the floor. He straightened them and flipped them over, orienting the pages away from him and nudging them closer to his mate immediately after.

He stepped around them and placed himself behind Jewel, wrapping his right wing around her. Her vision obscured, he walked her forward a few paces.

Feeling that they had stopped, she asked, "Can I open my eyes now?"

He dropped his wing and replied, "Okay...now you can!"

Staring down at the paper in front of her, she grew puzzled as to its meaning.

"What is this? Some sort of joke?"

"Not at all, honey. Turn them over, very carefully..."

She worked her right talon under the trio of pages, flipping them back over in one fluid motion.

The words: Um poema, de minha alma a sua...graced the top of the first page, and Jewel's eyes widened in response. She craned her head back towards Blu, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"A poem, for me! I don't know what to-"

"Shhh, honey. Just read it first, and then you can say all you want."

"As you wish, Blu..."

She rotated her head back to its default position and focused on the lined paper once again. The next sequence of words, which Jewel reckoned was the title, read: Meu Tudo.

She lowered her gaze to the first line, and she realized that the entire poem was in Portuguese. Smiling jovially, she began to read, her eyes drinking in every single word as she followed along...


Um poema, de minha alma a sua...

Meu Tudo.


You and I, we've come so far,

And I wanted to let you know...

You are my everything,

And you glitter like a star.


We were both born in this jungle,

So many distant years ago.

But smuggled away I was...

I was forsaken to a land,

Often shrouded by snow.


A caring human took me in,

Vowing to always be,

My nurturing companion.

I earned a second chance at life,

A fresh, clean start.

But my untimely journey had left us,

Nearly six thousand miles apart.


One morning a stranger showed up,

Dire news crushing his mind.

To my dismay, I soon found out,

That I was the last male...

Of my kind.


He begged that I be taken to her,

And that our union must not fail.

Lest our species vanish,

And become nothing but a blur.


A true story he was telling...

But at first, we did not believe.

After he failed to persuade,

Linda urged him to leave.


Deeply shaken by the news,

Linda was torn about what to do.

She and I decided,

We would have to give it a try.

We were soon cruising aboard a jet,

Unaware of what we would find.


I found out that Jewel was your name,

But your looks still put them all to shame.

As an angel you appeared,

And I exiled all of my fears.


I tried to seize your love,

But you pushed me away with a shove.

Escape was all you craved,

From the humans that enslaved.


They chained us together,

Leaving us high and dry.

You and I were convinced,

That we were going to die.


My inability to take wing,

Was to you...

A most frustrating thing.


You sought to wake my heart,

Only to watch me fail,

As soon as I would start.


Released was the chain,

That bound us together.

And with that,

Our bodies were untethered.


As I watched you fly above,

My spirit was instantly seized,

By the feeling of true love.

But too different we were,

And you made the choice to leave.


You were taken from the sky,

And locked away in a cage.

As we weaved among the parade,

My fervor to find you,

Never did fade.


The time quickly arrived,

For me to make a choice:

Return to the human with which I thrived,

Or rescue you,

And rejoice.


The latter I accepted,

But I was soon left dejected.

Taken to an airport,

And loaded onto a plane...

We were sure that we,

Would never see the sunrise again.


Two humans came to save us,

But their efforts were in vain.

They watched our prison fly away,

Leaving them stricken with endless pain.


I managed to free myself,

Along with everyone else.

They escaped a grisly fate,

But I still could not relate.


Winged evil pinned me down,

My death he yearned to bring.

I sent him away with a canister of steel,

But not before he ruined your wing.


You fell towards the sea,

Rendered flightless, so very like me,

And I could not bear to lose you.

Having realized that you were my everything,

And it was with you I was destined to be.


Your kiss jolted my heart ,

And I spread my wings apart.

I took to the sky,

With you along for the ride.


To our saviors I returned,

And within us, a new fire burned.

Your wing soon recovered,

And our completeness was uncovered.


Three wonderful children,

Were brought into our life...

It was then that we knew,

We had put an end to our strife.


That was in the past,

But not one thing has changed.

Just know that I'll be with you forever,

However long it lasts.


You awakened my heart,

Gave me someone to hold.

And with that embrace,

My once-caged soul grew bold.


Everything that you say,

And everything you do...

Just know that I'll send it all

Right back to you.


When I look into your eyes,

It's the sunrise I see.

But it is unable to compare,

To your kindred beauty.


This is a wonderful life we share,

But it's bound to come to an end.

We must cherish every precious day,

Since we don't know how or when.


Be that as it may,

Rest assured,

That what I'm about to say,

Is not a lie.


I do not fear the day,

On which we both shall die.

Our spirits will fly free,

Untethered from earthly frailty.

An eternal life we will live,

And receive the blessings that heaven gives.


But that event is a long way off.

And right now, my love,

Just chase it from your mind.

Set it loose on the wings

Of an ivory dove.


This poem can't do you justice,

But to your soul,

I hope it will sell.

For I love you more,

Than mere words could ever tell.


You and I, we've come so far,

And I there's something you should know...

You, my dear Jewel,

Are my everything,

And I'll never let you go...

Signed,

Tyler "Blu" Gunderson


Jewel released the sheets from her grip, and she stood motionless for what seemed like an eternity.

"Did you like it-"

Before he even concluded his query, Jewel whirled around and squeezed him in a warm hug. He was pushed backwards by the sudden move, but Jewel maintained her embrace.

"I...you...it's so...lovely, Blu. Why are you so good to me?"

He pulled his head back and stared into her eyes, catching a flash of happiness deep inside them.

"Because you deserve it, honey. I was a nobody until I found you. My life had no meaning, no purpose. That all changed when you became my mate. For that I am forever grateful, and that's why I love you..."

She leaned forward and kissed him, but it was not meant to be seductive. It was soft, yet sweet, and it conveyed Jewel's emotions clearly, without the need for words.

"So do I, Blu. By coming into my life, you taught me a very valuable lesson."

"What's that, beautiful?"

A tear welled from her eye and hit the floor with a *plop*.

"Even though I enjoyed my life of solitude, and that's how I wanted it to stay, destiny intervened. I eventually realized that it's nothing compared to the pleasure of sharing it with someone else. And that someone else is, and will always be...you."

Stroking her head feathers, he replied, "I couldn't agree more, Jewel..."

They extricated themselves from the embrace, and Blu re-stacked the poem, tucking it neatly into the farthest corner of the hollow. He rejoined his mate, and they slumped themselves against the wall.

They spent over half an hour in reflective silence, and the day's exhaustion eventually caught up to them. They dozed off, peacefully reclined against one another, but they did not dream.

Their heads were brimming with a myriad of positive emotions, and they both knew that this was a night they wouldn't soon forget.


A/N:

Um poema, de minha alma a sua ...=A poem, from my soul to yours...

Meu Tudo.=My Everything.

And yes, although Blu's poem was in Portuguese, I wrote it in English to avoid the tedious task of translating it all.

I put this side note here to avoid reviews that recognize that discrepancy.

Until next time,

*THE Wolf has spoken.*