Posts in Alabstraction

Ocean Dream

There comes a time in the life of every man or woman when they ask themselves why their ancestors ever went to all the trouble of crawling out of the sea. The ocean has always fascinated me- the long, flat horizon, the hum of water against sand, and most of all the feeling one gets of being totally isolated from, while simultaneously instantly connected to, every other living thing on Earth.

They say the oceans were formed when an ice-giant careened recklessly out of orbit and crashed into Earth, like a galactic game of billiards with God running the table. I don’t know if that’s true, but if it is, I prefer to think of it as one planet embracing another, fully aware that the total of the two would be infinitely greater than the sum of their parts.

Bird Buddies

Birds confound me. Somehow, by one accord, an entire flock of birds will rise as one, and without direction or hesitation, they form a giant “V” and head for whatever new location is silently calling to them. They never argue about who’s going to lead, yet somehow, one bird always ends up at the front of their aerial wedge. A bird that was dead last yesterday might be leading the flight today. The other birds don’t mind, and the new leader seems to do just as well as all those who came before.

There’s probably a lesson to be learned there, but it’s one I doubt humans will ever bother to appreciate.

– Allan Lacoste