There once was a bird who had lost his way. He flew high and low in the sky, lonely and without love or a place to rest. Days and nights passed and his loneliness grew.
One day he saw a small flower, bright and red among the green leaves of the trees. It was small and barely noticeable but its beauty caught the bird’s eye so he flew below. He could smell the sweet scent and see her delicate petals. He instantly fell deeply in love with her and wanted to be with her. And so he asked, “What can I do to be with you forever, my darling?”
The flower told the bird, “Bring me water daily and I will provide you shelter from the rain. Remove leaves that grow too close to me and I will grow strong and smell sweet to keep you calm. Sing to me and I will provide sweet nectar to drink. Protect me from other birds and animals and I will love you forever.
And so the bird flew below and gathered water for the flower daily. He removed the leaves that grew too close to her. He sang to her many songs. He protected her night and day. In return, she kept him safe and calm. She kept his belly full and loved him dearly.
One day, the bird was flying to retrieve water when his wing caught a nest of thorns from below where his beautiful flower was. He tried to break free but his wing would not budge. Night fell and he still could not escape to give water to her. All he could do was sing to his beautiful flower above. And so he sang all night. He sang until he sang his last song.
The flower mourned for her bird. With no water, she grew weak. She cried but the leaves choked her. Her sweet scent faded. With no more songs from her bird, her nectar ran dry. With no protection, birds and animals picked and poked at her. Without her bird, she faded away.
Her petals fell below, one by one. They fell gently onto the bird, covering him, the one who no longer sang. They both remained in the nest of thorns, intertwined. Together. Forever.
(This story is in ode to my late Tio Guadalupe and Tia Norma)