Fortitude
Morning coffee at my balcony is a beautiful experience. Besides the cool morning air, there are many types of birds that keep winging in and out of view that add to the pleasure. For the last few days, I have been noticing a new species of a bird. Besides being having a small build like the rest of the species it seemed unusually stubby.
Today it vanished into a bush and I could not longer see it, but it started chirping. It was then that I realized that it was the Indian wagtail which I regularly see. However, the stubby appearance was because it had lost its prominent tail feathers. As this realization came about, the bird flew out of the bush to a nearby perch. It’s mate soon joined him with the tail feathers intact.
I was wondering what would have caused the loss of the tail feathers which are so central to the beauty of this bird. A territory fight with another suitor perhaps? Many possibilities soon crossed my mind. It was then that I noticed that the chirp of this lovely little bird was as crisp and cheerful as ever.
in spite
of everything
water strider
Minefield
I had started my career as a Sales executive. One of the companies that I had worked for years before was a big name in Personal Computers. It was a dream job for me. Unfortunately for the company an over enthusiastic sales executive had made unrealistic commitments to a client. This resulted in the company being barred from doing business with the client. I was assigned to this client and my first sales call was for a singular personal computer requirement. This client regularly purchased lots of computers from other vendors. The client manager reluctantly gave me an appointment. The sales call went downhill from the word go. At the end of the client’s verbal lashing, I requested for just one opportunity to right the wrong. The client was surprised at my optimism and sarcastically laughed and said “Let’s see”. A week or so later the phone rang. A voice at the end of the line asked me to come and collect the purchase order for the personal computer.
past midnight
monitor’s beep tells me
I’m still here
