Bird On The Wire

There is a bird living on the electricity meter on the outside wall of our house. Well, there are two birds actually. One usually sits, looking quite comfortably, on the meter itself while one sits rather precariously on a wire. I like to think of them as a pair – a male and a female – one happy pair of birds living on the electricity meter of our house, though I really cannot tell a male bird from a female.

For some reason I find them rather fascinating. My father says that they have been ‘living’ there for quite some time now, as evident from the marks they leave on the floor below. I wonder if they have any idea that they are making themselves a home on an electricity meter – hardly the safest place to nest. Once last month the circuit breaker tripped, leaving us in the dark. My father was quick to blame the tiny birds, merrily covering the meter with their droppings. Turned out it wasn’t them, but an old electric kettle finally bidding its farewell. Just the same, we haven’t seen any little baby birds yet.

Just as I amuse myself watching these little birds, I wonder how it would be like if the situation is reversed. What it would be like if one were to observe us tiny humans behaving and living our lives in the in this small corner of the infinite vastness of the universe? How much would any of us matter? How much does anything matter?

There is a verse in the Quran, which says that humans are created men and women, and of different races so we can get to know one another. Diversity is the essence of life. From time to time we just need to be reminded of that.