September 30th, 2023
One evening, a rooster hopped into a tree.
The rooster, having settled himself on a sturdy branch in the middle of a pomerac tree, surveyed his kingdom from within his leafy palace, content in the knowledge that his hens were safe in the coop and he was out of reach of mere mortals, like us. From time to time he would turn his head and you would catch just a glimpse of his eyes between the leaves. He gave a stare of defiance, as if daring you to try and catch him.
A curious hummingbird darted into the scene, showing off its brilliant jewel-like colors while waiting with great anticipation to see what was going to transpire.
As if on cue (perhaps that hummingbird is the world’s first psychic hummingbird) the dog noticed the crowd gathering and spotted the rooster in the tree. Stealthily approaching from a distance with an indomitable focus, when the moment was right (in her estimation) she ran full speed ahead and jumped up onto the fence next to the tree trying to get closer to the rooster.
Almost immediately, the hummingbird disappeared into the peachy-gold twilight, and the rooster, losing all composure, scrambled higher and higher up into the tree, clucking and ruffling his feathers as he made his escape.
Meanwhile, the stars twinkled a little brighter with amusement at the whole episode.
The dog ran back and forth for a while but, realizing her efforts were getting her no closer to the rooster, she plonked herself on the ground with a huff and a couple of high-pitched barks in frustration. All to no avail. The rooster, who had managed to compose himself by this time, was sitting serenely way up in the tree, with barely a glance in her direction.
Such are the intricacies of life in the animal kingdom.
It has been, and continues to be, a wonderful experience to live in such close proximity to beautiful animals, both wild and domesticated. They are a source of great companionship, understanding, acceptance and joy. There is much we can learn from them.
May you find companionship, joy, understanding and acceptance as you carry out your work in this world.
Work here is in a quiet phase; this week saw the completion of a painting and the start of a new one, which involves priming a piece of birch plywood and sketching an idea that has been germinating for a few months on paper; fragments of a new poem are also emerging, and these will require some contemplation before committing them to paper.
As ever, the work evolves in its own way and in its own time.
Sincerely, in contemplation,
SC