DALLIANCE WITH THE BIRDS IN WAIKIKI

[schlomo]

A Dalliance with the Birds

The other day while I was waiting for a bus, I saw a few tiny chirping birds on a nearby tree limb. As I often do when I hear birdsongs, I chimed in with my patented vibrato whistle ranging from a couple of notes to soaring arpeggios. I imagined that the birds reciprocated my tuneful efforts.

Before I finished my musical tete a tete with the birds, a middle-aged woman pleasantly intruded. With a gleam in her eye, she revealed that she too had a rapport with birds, especially the ones that often flitted around her backyard. But whistling was not her forte. She preferred talking intimately to them, and she was convinced that they attentively listened to her.

Although I will probably never see this welcoming stranger again, I will fondly remember her because in her unique way, she epitomized the rejuvenating Aloha spirit.