Kingfisher

 

Beyond blinding white of sand,

And overwhelming blue of seas,

You may spot it sitting quietly

Musing in the breeze

 

Its plumes contest the brilliant teal

The turquoise of the Bay,

Its feathers have that brightly glow

That steal the show of day

 

Yet it stays quiet on its own,

Nothing to show or win,

Let white the eagles steal the show

Let the pigeons be crowned queen

 

You know too, you could be king

But you care not if you fail

You choose to be like most of us,

And sing a commoner’s tale

 

But it cannot care of mortal whims

It has flown alone this far,

That it can merge with sea and sand

And turn a distant star

 

In silence, it has gone beyond

The trials of the eye

One moment, it sees you by the sea

The next – it’s said goodbye…

Of all the birds I spotted in the islands, the collared kingfisher was my pick. There was something in its forlorn, uncaring stare that won me over – more than the acrobatics of the majestic and huge white-bellied sea eagle , more than the resplendent, multi-coloured feathers of the Nicobar Pigeon, more than the enigmatic allure of the hard-to-spot Andaman Wood Pigeon. There it was, very different to the more colourful ones I have seen on the mainland, but sharing the same indifference, looking far into the unknown almost as if it were not a bird, but a yogi, who has understood the entire cycle of life, and now doesn’t care to be judged by the meaningless definitions of victory and defeat. The only objective, to blend within and stare into the beauty of the world, and care not which part is real, which part fake, which part has won, which has lost. As if, it chooses to watch the clouds pass by, and be content with existence alone….

(Inspired by the Kingfisher by William Henry Davies)