Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Crying for Caruso

This evening visiting Sian's blog and enjoying her photos of clouds bringing snow to Graemsay/Orkney, when reading of her daily feeding the wild birds, I immediately thought of a dear friend in Milan I met in February 2003 when he and I were engaged with Poets Against War (PAW). Giulio used to write at night. And often his emails ended with regards from him and Caruso, the blackbird that had just begun singing on his balcony.
Last Saturday was my friend's birthday, and I wished him well and asked, if Caruso had already serenaded him.
The answer: "I miss our blackbirds. We can no longer be their friends, the condominium saw to that- you can’t feed wild birds!"
The peace of the night.

This photo, taken on his balcony,
was attached to my friend's recent email.
A photo taken in June 2008 of 'Mister'
who might well have been a descendant of 'Caruso'.
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3 comments:

  1. Lindsay ByrnesWednesday, January 24, 2018 4:12:00 am

    HI Sean,
    Just to borrow a few familiar lines,
    Blackbird singing in the dead of night
    Take these broken wings and learn to fly
    All your life waiting for this moment to be free
    I’m sure you know those lyrics much better than me
    Into the light of the dark black night
    Best wishes

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  2. susanWednesday, January 24, 2018 4:36:00 am

    We aren't allowed bird feeders here either - in fact, the balconies on one side of our building are covered by netting to deter pigeons(!). So we go to the park carrying peanuts for our particular black friends as well as the squirrels, blue jays and chickadees. Nothing for the gull, though, they can take care of themselves.

    That is one very handsome blackbird.

    ReplyDelete
  3. CherryPieWednesday, January 24, 2018 6:20:00 pm

    That is a shame. I love to see our garden birds, including blackbirds.

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