Friday, January 23, 2004

REQUIEM FOR THE RIVER

(Raven is feeling cheerier, has gone out to say his farewells to his buddies who hang out by the river.)

Raven is circling
raindrops over the river,
whooping and cackling:
it is the first rain in months,
and he's spinning his feathers

at the novelty.
Although the sign by the bridge
says "Don't throw garbage
in the river!", plastic bags
of trash swirl their way downstream:

a smorgasbord for
Raven, no ecologist,
to pick and choose from.
Pecking at the plastic scabs,
he stains the river with death.
PAJAROS

Raven is trying to get himself together for the trip south. In La Jornada he found a quote from St. John of the Cross that he hopes will bolster him in a place where no other members of his species will be available to crony around with:

"The conditions for a lone bird are five:

1. He must fly to the highest point.

2. He must not suffer for lack of company, nor for the lack of his own kind.

3. He must point his beak toward the sky.

4. He must not have a definite color.

5. He must sing softly."

Raven is not in agreement with point number 4, as he is big on Black Pride. Singing softly has never been part of his repetoire, but he's willing to give that a shot....

I think we're getting close to getting him off the ground again.
GOIN' SOUTH

Raven and I are packing our bags for Venezuela again. Raven doesn't have a whole heck of a lot to pack, but he is a little edgy that he's going to be away from the friendly confines of his habitat again. (The range for ravens stops more or less at the border of Mexico with Guatemala.) Our few months in Guayaquil, Ecuador, really bumbed the bird out. But venezuela is where the action is, so we're off to spend three months in the crosshairs....