Home Remains

An illegible message carved into the sand: perhaps the name of a stranger; the symbols for peace; for love. The sand's texture is thick, grainy, inconsistent. Not the kind associated with pure, white, clear-watered beaches. Its colour is a dark brown. The same shade in clothing might be called chocolate or coffee. But here it reminds of dirt, mud, filth, shit. Yet it's teeming with life; with more beauty than could ever be found on a white holiday-friendly beach.

I watch an ibis go about its business. I remember a time when I thought they were ugly. I thought they were a pest sifting through bins. It was the religion with which I was brought up that lead me to believe a bird was inferior. That humans were the centre of the universe and animals were simply put here for us to make use of. But I now know that I am not above such a creature. As long as I had that mindset I was far inferior.

So I see ibis walking along concrete and digging through bins. I wonder if there used to be a tree in the bin's place. Did the bird nest there? Feed there?

I wonder if while we were evolving into a more "civilised" being, maybe the ibis stayed much the same. It had no need for anything more. Surely the greatest influence in its evolutionary history is happening right now thanks to mankind...or not so kind. To reach our place at the top of the food chain I doubt much kindness was responsible.