Phoenix Rising
By Northlight Hermary
It's going to be a
year in two months. A year since Moonie's death. A year of
mourning and missing the comfort and chaos that silly conure
brought to my life.
I'm sewing together Moonie's old snuggle buddy. It was the toy he
came with when he first came home and oddly enough, it will be the
toy my new conure will be given when he comes home.
Home. In two months.
I find it funny how deity
works things. I've been wanting another Conure for eons and I'm
thrilled to be having a new one enter my life. It feels like
forever, but I have the comfort knowing that my sacrifices will
have a happy ending. I've decided to bring home a baby Gold
Capped Conure. It's louder than I'm used to, but I was comforted
by research that said most don't find the noise that bad. Sure,
they were loud, but overall,
they weren't THAT loud. Only experience will tell me for
certain. I don't find Sun Conures too bad, although the one I
met at my local parrot club was a persistent little brat. I've
been told Gold Caps are less annoying than they are and I hope
the many hours of research I've put into finding the right
Conure will pay off.
I'm calling the baby Phoenix. It's been hard finding the right
name. I originally thought Stigmata was a good fit, but the more
I thought about it, the less it seemed to 'click'. Then I
thought Messiah. I like weird names for my nonhuman companions.
People remember me and the birds faster than if I had chosen a
simpler, less flashy name. In a flash of inspiration, the name
Phoenix hit me. I felt like deity was humoring me, as for three
days earlier I kept seeing the logo for companies named Phoenix.
I guess I wasn't getting the creator's message. When I got home,
the first image of my baby greeted me in my inbox. Phoenix was a
perfect fit. As I gloried over his soft greens and red I smiled
to myself. This Conure spoke to me. It said that out of the
sorrows of the past, a new Conure would arise and I would do
things with this new companion that I couldn't do with Moonie.
It sounds tacky, but this is what I felt in my heart. It's
interesting how things are clicking into place. Even the toy I'm
sewing together looks like my little Gold Cap. Sure... the beak,
feet and tail are the wrong colors, but hey. I can live with
that. I just hope the little guy loves it as much as my baby
Moonie did. I still have that silly image in my head of him
sleeping under it's wing the first night he was home.
Phoenix will never take away Moonie's uniqueness. In a way I
think Phoenix might even be Moonie. I don't know. Being one who
accepts reincarnation, I do think this may be the case, but it
isn't the reason why I'm loving this second Aratinga. It's a
second chance. It's a second chance at loving a bird I've worked
hard to get. It's a second chance at trying love a complex bird
that will (hopefully) live to be a fulfilling and wonderful
companion. It's a second chance at learning and understanding
bird behavior. It's a second chance at letting a wild bird be
itself. It's a chance at helping save a species disappearing in
the wild.
I'm filled with numerous fears and hopes. I hope this my Gold
Cap accepts the cockatiels as readily as Moonie did. I'm
terrified of losing Phoenix like I lost Moonie. Will it get
sick, leaving me lost with no Conure to laugh at as it bathed? I
don't know. I'm filled with hope and laughter, yet tears and
sorrow. Most of all, I just want to bring this new bird home. I
want to bring it home and let it grow. So it can be Loved.
Cherished. And most importantly, made happy.
Editor's Note:
Phoenix arrived home with a bacterial infection and sadly, passed away
shortly after he came home. Fly free, Phoenix!
|
