Wings of Love
Yesterday I spent all day on Mamukan island off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, Western Malaysia. I had a lovely day on the beach. I finished Shantaram towards the end of the day and was in a strange mood after. That book is quite powerful and it can suck you in right into what is going on in the story.
When the beach finally emptied of loud local tourists since it was a Saturday, I found a little flat spot and started doing yoga. I needed to clear my mind.
Looking over at the sea, with its lulling waves slowly washing up onto the shore, I was breathing in fresh island air and breathing out everything that might have been bothering me before.
As I continued focusing on my breathing and clearing my mind, my eyes caught fluttering wings of a small bird flying over the waves. All of a sudden his delicate body dipped into the ocean and looked like it was just floating there. When I saw him fly up for a few seconds only to plummet back into the water, I realized that something was wrong.
I ran over as fast as I could. Carefully, I scooped up the beautiful, small bundle of shiny black feathers and put him in both of my open palms while carrying him away from the water. I reached for my bottle of fresh water to give to the little guy but he was fluttering his wings in panic. I was talking, telling him that's it ok, that he's safe now. For a moment it seemed like he was about to fly away. But his beautiful, majestic wings outstretched to their full span only to fall down as if filled with led. I looked into the bird's eyes and I saw fear. And just like that, his little warm body stopped moving and life amandonded him... His little black eyes slowly closed. His wings relaxed as if he had just fallen asleep.
I just stood there, with both of my hands together still, holding the beautiful life that had just left the small yet brave creature. I didn't know what to do. It all happened so quickly. I couldn't believe that he just died. What was the point of me seeing him and giving him false hope of survival while giving me a false hope of rescue. That was cruel.
The only reasoning behind all of this that I could find was the fact that he didn't have to die alone. I saw birds flying around very low, circling the little area I was standing in. They were looking for him.
I carried his little body towards the woods right by the beach and I dug a little whole using rocks and sticks and finally my fingers, when the earth was too resilient. When I covered up the beautiful bird, I made a little shrine of pieces of wood, leaves and other forest things. And then I brought over some shells. So he'd have a piece of his home with him as well as pieces from the sea which wrongfully claimed his life.
Although the beach still had some people on it. No one had seen what had happened. People kept walking around, smiling and laughing. And here I was standing there on the verge of tears. Why was that beauty showed to me and then taken away in such a cruel way?
When the beach finally emptied of loud local tourists since it was a Saturday, I found a little flat spot and started doing yoga. I needed to clear my mind.
Looking over at the sea, with its lulling waves slowly washing up onto the shore, I was breathing in fresh island air and breathing out everything that might have been bothering me before.
As I continued focusing on my breathing and clearing my mind, my eyes caught fluttering wings of a small bird flying over the waves. All of a sudden his delicate body dipped into the ocean and looked like it was just floating there. When I saw him fly up for a few seconds only to plummet back into the water, I realized that something was wrong.
I ran over as fast as I could. Carefully, I scooped up the beautiful, small bundle of shiny black feathers and put him in both of my open palms while carrying him away from the water. I reached for my bottle of fresh water to give to the little guy but he was fluttering his wings in panic. I was talking, telling him that's it ok, that he's safe now. For a moment it seemed like he was about to fly away. But his beautiful, majestic wings outstretched to their full span only to fall down as if filled with led. I looked into the bird's eyes and I saw fear. And just like that, his little warm body stopped moving and life amandonded him... His little black eyes slowly closed. His wings relaxed as if he had just fallen asleep.
I just stood there, with both of my hands together still, holding the beautiful life that had just left the small yet brave creature. I didn't know what to do. It all happened so quickly. I couldn't believe that he just died. What was the point of me seeing him and giving him false hope of survival while giving me a false hope of rescue. That was cruel.
The only reasoning behind all of this that I could find was the fact that he didn't have to die alone. I saw birds flying around very low, circling the little area I was standing in. They were looking for him.
I carried his little body towards the woods right by the beach and I dug a little whole using rocks and sticks and finally my fingers, when the earth was too resilient. When I covered up the beautiful bird, I made a little shrine of pieces of wood, leaves and other forest things. And then I brought over some shells. So he'd have a piece of his home with him as well as pieces from the sea which wrongfully claimed his life.
Although the beach still had some people on it. No one had seen what had happened. People kept walking around, smiling and laughing. And here I was standing there on the verge of tears. Why was that beauty showed to me and then taken away in such a cruel way?
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