Birdman
The forecast is winter storm warnings. Two to three
inches for starters, then we can expect one inch per hour after
that. How long after that? Until tonight, or until tomorrow, or
what? Washington D.C.'s snow is no longer a surprise to them,
but rather the norm these days. It's already started in New York
and Boston, so we sit here and wait for ours. L'Elizabeth's has
been all cleaned up and readied for weekend business which I'm
afraid she won't see tonight. From the apartment here on Benefit
Street, the view is serene and the tenants are expecting the warmth
of the fire and the hot and spicy shrimp which are in the making.
Not a bad way to spend the evening. As they run through the channels,
they come across an old movie, "Birdman of Alcatraz" starring
Burt Lancaster. He accepts a life in prison with total isolation
from the rest of the world with the exception of a walk in the
prison yard and human contact with one guard. It makes having
to stay in one night because of a snow storm, a trifle. No weeping
for him, just acceptance. He befriends a newborn bird whose nest
had fallen from a tree in a bad wind and rain storm. Nurturing
it becomes his first chance to be human and useful by trying to
find as many bugs as he can to feed the little thing. Even after
the bird gets his wings and has grown to full birdom, he encourages
it to fly and find its place in the world. He did not want to
see the bird caged in like himself. The bird got his chance at
freedom but returned only to die of some bird illness. Birdman
seems not to have much remorse for it after giving it the gifts
of love and freedom. Finally, his birds are taken away from him
and he is sent to Alcatraz after serving 15 years of his sentence.
All in all, he does 52 years. The last stop for him was to be
placed in a less-guarded prison where he could walk in and out
of his room unattended. Again, his gratefulness for new freedom
was not shadowed by the fact that he did not get total freedom.
He accepted the things he could not change. I try to take something
from this Birdman, for he has something I want. Today it's the
acceptance of the isolation of one snowstorm; one day, not 52
years.
Copyright; Ruth
Mahoney January 9, 1988
