Act I

Act I

Mr. Goldfinch Trembling, undecided as to what to do, he just hovers, glancing anxiously at Mrs. Crimson from time to time.
Ms. Crimson Oh, Mr. Goldfinch, there you are! Please sing for me.
Mr. Goldfinch He offers a weak quavering, warbling tremolo.
Ms. Lovebird She surreptitiously draws Mr. Goldfinch to the edge of the birdbath.
Ms. Lovebird Just let him have a little drink. He seems so thirsty.
Turtle Ms. Crimson, come on a little walk with me down this path. I have something to show you.
Ms. Crimson She throws a backward glance at Mr. Goldfinch who is gleefully spraying water everywhere, shakes her head with a sigh, and starts down the path with Turtle.

Up Close and Personal with Ms. Lovebird: Green, air, emotional clarity, balance

Ms. Blue reunites with her silkie babies

Ms. Blue had this one precious day to be with her silkies, and she was determined to make the most of it. She established an atmosphere of total freedom and of being only in the present. They dove and chased each other, nipped each other playfully, played tag with their flippers, and went for rides on Mommy's back. When they grew tired, she nursed them in the water and let them swim out to sea. Her eyes filled with tears as they disappeared from view.

An aside regarding Ms. Lovebird and Mr. Lovefish

Ms. Lovebird and Mr. Lovefish have opened their hearts to each other. However, by nature, each must live in his/her own element. Swimming in a current of thoughts and feelings, Mr. Lovefish is not distracted by the busyness of the world. Ms. Lovebird flying up in the sky also sees clearly. Where the two meet, as Tom Waits sings, is in each other's hearts.

An aside regarding Ms. Blue

Mysterious Ms. Blue is actually a silkie, a seal-woman who is able to transform herself each year on Midsummer's Eve and be once again a mother with her children (see right). In either form--as a seal (left) or as a woman (right--when the sea is raging, she must balance her energetic flow, becoming a pool of gentle waters.

an aside regarding Mr. Goldfinch

an aside regarding Mr. Goldfinch

"A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream 'til the current ends
and dips his wing in the orange sun's rays and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
can seldom see through his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom. . . "

from I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou

Tableau vivant, prelude to a play in three acts

Setting:
Immense rolling green lush lawn, some shade trees, a blossoming cherry tree, and a birdbath, at once for birds and fish.

Tableau vivant, prelude to a play in three acts

Characters:
- Lady in Red, no. 1, "Secure," whom we shall call Ms. Crimson
- Yellow Bird, no. 3, "Fragile," whom we shall call Mr. Goldfinch
- Green Fish and Bird Couple, no. 4, "Accepting," who are called Ms. Lovebird and Mr. Lovefish
- Lady in Blue, no. 5, "Flowing," whom we shall call Ms. Blue.


Ms. Crimson enters the stage from the right and walks very confidently to the front. She stands with her hands on her hips and her head held high. Her stance is very overbearing and controlling, thus intimidating her companions.

Tableau vivant, prelude to a play in three acts

The fragile, anxious Mr. Goldfinch obsequiously hovers just above Ms. Crimson's head, hoping against hope for her approval. He nervously flutters his wings.

Meanwhile, a very subtle interaction is taking place under the cherry tree. Mr. Lovefish is swimming around in the birdbath, and Ms. Lovebird is looking down at the water, both at him and at her reflection.

Ms. Blue mysteriously has her back to us, perhaps allowing her robes to flow or is it her self- expression that is flowing? Or could she be as "blue" as her name implies?

last line of James Joyce's Ulysses

"The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts."
~James Joyce

Our Lady appears in Ireland

" Our Lady appeared at Knock in West Ireland. Although silent, the symbolism was profound, and some theologians think it could pertain to the end times."

W.B. Yeats and Maud Gonne at J.P. Finnegan's

"We can make our minds so like still water... " ~Yeats

Celtic Metamorphoses

May you have warm words on a cold evening,

A full moon on a dark night,

And the road downhill all the way to your door.

~Irish adage

A Celtic goddess metamorphosed into an owl, silent and alone in the night.

Celtic Metaphor

The white owl discerns

Deceit and truth in darkness.

A private, still bird.

haiku by Margaret

Listening

Let us live with grace,

Awkward as we are.

Let us feel compassion

For the swiftest comet

And the smallest star.

by Frieda Feldman