all the small kinds

Imagine opening up the door
to face the day outside. Outside, 
the ground is almost completely 
covered

in birds. 

All the small kinds, just close enough.
Touching each other, but not piled up. 
You see blades of grass, gleams of 
concrete, patches of earth between 
their gold, black, blue and mousy 
greys.
Now
you've imagined this, 
so please tell me: are they
alive or dead?