Sunday, September 30, 2007

The representation of birds

Its said that the dove is the bird of peace, because of its beauty, innocence and its obvious charming disposition.
Well after sitting, chain smoking on Aucklands Queen of streets I had a sort of revelation on another bird.
That of the often maligned and frowned upon pidgeon.
It is a filthy creature, ignored and sometimes even villified by some, called the 'flying rat' by others.
And yet it has several characteristics and similarities with other occupants of the streets and crevasses in the city. This creature is the homeless person.
The pidgeon hovers around to scrounge for food, eat scraps of refuse, and generally be unseeable to most of us, unless we are directly confrontedby them or if we are curious small children being told 'don't touch' or 'dont stare'.
This vile, disgusting and seemingly outcast creature and its human counterpart seem so closely linked.
Living on the streets in packs, starving, trying to score whatever is needed to survive, and still being ignored or looked down upon, and yet never really appearing to give a shit.
Brothers in arms, man and bird, existing on the crossroads of existance.
Present while being ignored yet banal once noticed. Ready to humilliate themselves and their species in the sad life that they parade.
Living to be invisible.....
But, is that living?

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