Monochrome.

Nothing is ever monochrome.

Being alive is all the colours in between and simplification is so often trivialization, however fervently we may yearn for the comforting separation of thought and experience .

The hunters have been shooting the wild boar in the forest with what sounds like elephant guns. The hunters wave to us as they pass us in their vehicles because they see us in the woods so often. We wave back, pleased to see that they are wearing masks, appropriately socially distanced as they drive off to kill.

The next day we see ravens when we walk to the woods and then more and then more. Ravens are always in pairs and they talk to one another raucously when the winter comes. I think of bickering and companionable married couples as they roll overhead in a sky that is ready to snow.

There are so many ravens and they are so close to us and so loud, that we realize there must be meat near by to make them so excited .

Of course there is: the hunters’ lodge is very close and the entrails of the butchered boar must have gone somewhere.

The ravens were uproarious with delight . The couples were contented and after feasting, they descended into the stubble to clean their gory great black beaks in the clean winter field.

The raven is in the bottom left hand side.

Advertisement