Beyond the Gray: A Personal Reflection on Being True
by Karen Scalf on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 1:49pm
A friend sent me a thoughtful card in the mail today. It has a blue guitar on the front with a couplet from a Wallace Steven's poem that goes,
"Things as they are
Are changed upon the blue guitar."
As my birthday grows near, I reflect, as I do annually, on where I've been, where I'm going and how I can be a better person and truer to my calling. I'm already immersed, no doubt, in my calling. It is a blend of passion and mind, the wonderful combination of music, words, image and the language and movement of nature. I am further immeshed in the deep connection between flora, fauna and our sustenance. I haven't gotten rich from my calling ,but I live everyday knowing I am drawn to observe, reflect, and capture the words, sounds, aromas, and sights revolving through me and all around me.
A couple of recent avian sightings have given me pause to consider these thoughts. A few days ago, a little bird I had never seen before flew into my second floor study window and fell to the first floor roof, stunned. It's greenish yellow color and small body intrigued me while its misfortune troubled me. I lifted my window screen and gently sat the bird upright with a yard stick. It sat for several minutes, alive, but unmoving. I began to cluck and chat in some form of bird language I did not previously know I possessed. It probably wondered why a gigantic crow was yelling at it. Before long, the little creature opened its eyes and moved its head from side to side, taking in its surroundings. As I continued my bird chatter, it looked up at me several times with a bright yellow-ringed eye. Then it flew to the birch tree and perched on a high limb and I was happy for its survival.
After searching my field guide, I am hoping it was a Bachman's Warbler, the "rarest North American songbird." (Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Birds, 242). Or it may have been a Yellow Throated Vireo, not as rare, but still a brand new sight to me.
I was reminded of one of my favorite stories as both a student and a teacher of 9th grade literature, "The Scarlet Ibis." In this moving and lyrical short story, a young boy nicknamed Doodle is born with a weak heart and lies scrunched up in a doodle-like position for much of his early years. His older brother gave him the nick-name and tells the story as he recalls his own youth. Doodle grows into a thoughtful and sentimental boy, as one is like to when faced with physical challenges in childhood. He does not fit in because he cannot run across the fields and jump in the creeks like his older brother. His brother keeps pushing him to, though.
One evening during supper, a big redish-pink bird lands on the roof and then falls to the ground outside their window. Doodle is amazed and shocked by the bird's rare and magnificent beauty. The bird has perhaps been blown off course during migration and is out of place...you get the parallel symbolism...Doodle rushes from the table against his parents wishes and finds the bird dead. He is compelled to give it a proper burial, even though his condition makes it dangerous for him to exert himself that much.
One day during a thunderstorm, Doodle and his brother are out in the fields away from the house, and his brother convinces him to run across the fields home. It is too much for Doodle's weak heart, and he dies from the exertion. It sounds terrifically morbid and predictable, but I tell you it is not. You must read if for yourself. It is a sad, compelling and beautiful depiction of the vagaries and injustices of youth.
This long-winded review brings me back to my rare songbird sighting. "My" bird lived, and, in the process of its temporary blinding, made me realize that while, "being different" has often caused me problems in this life, perhaps that is exactly what I need to be focusing on now. How can I use my divergent thoughts and ideas to affect people in a positive way?
My second avian image of the week is focused upon a bird of an altogether common feather. In fact, this bird commoner is so ubiquitous as to be considered obnoxious by many. I am referring to the pigeon. A flock of twenty or more showed up at the feeder today. My neighbor and I must have put out food at the same time, so they eagerly flew in for the all-the-seeds-you-can-crack-for-free-buffet. While many South and Central Americans eat this bird and many North Americans would prefer to shoot it on sight and dispose of it, I enjoy observing it. Perhaps it is a sentimental viewing as I am reminded of Juli Andrews playing Mary Poppins singing with the bag woman feeding the pigeons in the square. "Feed the birds/tuppins a day/tuppins, tuppins/tuppins a day..."
Pigeons are birds, too. The carrier pigeon was used up and run into extinction. Now his cousins flock to the city and are run out of town by any number of means from imported city falcon predators to electric clappers and plastic owls on rooftops.
Anyway, I still enjoy observing them. They are magnificent in their varied iridescent coats. Have you ever noticed? A rainbow of color explosion lies just beneath the commonly perceived grayness of their feathers. They also perform an intricate mating dance that is a joy to behold. Stick around sometime for their gracefulness before you run them off.
Today, one lone member of the flock kept returning and grazing and flying just a little bit out of rhythm with the rest of her crew. (Yes, I have to run them off from time to time when the pigeon party gets too big because my neighbor on the other side complains). The lone pigeon didn't stand out from the rest of them because of physical characteristics, but because she chose her own rhythm. You get the drift.
I close with this thought gleaned from watching a flock of pigeons; It's not so much how we are generally perceived, but how we choose to interact with others and how we decide to act alone as we navigate through this world.
Then, we can simply reflect on it, or we may be compelled to create something from it. From gray to light to the indigo of midnight, "Things as they are, Are changed upon the blue guitar."
May you find music, magic and great flavors in your backyard or wherever you are,
Karen
Like · Comment · Share
Karen Scalf Maybe I'll start a podcast or a blog. Which? Both? What's the best forum for essays and assorted creative ventures these days? How will I tied all these ideas and creations together?
October 18, 2009 at 6:29am
Karen Scalf tie
October 18, 2009 at 6:39am
Karen Scalf Why didn't I make this my main page? This page that is supposedly linked to my main fb page is annoying because it's like a "secret" page. Maybe I should start all over from scratch??
October 18, 2009 at 6:50am
Audrey Ball I remember reading "The Scarlet Ibis"...I cried.
October 18, 2009 at 3:17pm
Karen Scalf Yes, that story stays with you. How are you doing Audrey? Writing any satire this year?
October 19, 2009 at 4:56pm
Audrey Ball I've been through a lot emotionally in the past month or so (in a good way), so my writing has changed as well. Instead of satire, everything I write turns into a huge sappy mess. It feels so unnatural.
I suppose eventually my sappy side a...nd my not-so-sappy side will find common ground, where both can be comfortable with what I'm writing. Until then, I'll be cringing at all of the emotions on the paper. Woohoo!!
How have you been?See More
October 19, 2009 at 6:03pm
Karen Scalf Whoohoo! Audrey Ball is a sappy writer! ;) Yes, I have confidence that your sappy and sarcastic will come together as snazzy:) Me, I'm meandering a bit, but in hopes of another interesting job before too long. Meanwhile, I've finally settled into serious writing mode. Not all my writing is serious, but it is seriously happening on a pretty regular basis.
October 20, 2009 at 6:52am
Audrey Ball It's hard to be sarcastic at all about this stuff, which makes it even weirder...I'm totally serious, and there's no sarcasm to protect me. Serious Scalf writing...sounds dangerous! Haha.
October 26, 2009 at 10:24pm
Denn Tackett It does indeed sounds bit dangerous! Ha
November 13, 2009 at 4:49pm
Karen Scalf Danger is in the eye of the beholder...
November 18, 2009 at 10:40am
Denn Tackett ;) I hope all is well in Scalf world!
November 24, 2009 at 11:19am
Facebook © 2011 · English (US)Mobile · Find Friends · Badges · People · Pages · About · Advertising · Create a Page · Developers · Careers · Privacy · Terms · Help
No comments:
Post a Comment