R.I.P., Captain Morgan!

Today I mark the passing of my Zebra Finch, aka Captain Morgan, who I had in my keeping for about eight years. He was born in captivity, and was a hearty little thing, until about 3 years ago. I kept Zebra Finchs for many years, and eventually they all died, but the Captain outlived them all. Becoming more and more fragile, his tiny claws began to atrophy, and one of his eyes began to shut (hence, illusions to eye patches, pirates, rum, "Arrghh!", etc). I joked that he was now in assisted living. I even placed his food where he could more easily find it. He liked to sit up high on a little shelf in the cage where he could look out, (if he din't fall out! Ha ha !) I fed him finch seed, though he LOVED millet, and an occasional bit of bread, be it sweet, i.e. Pannetone, Greek Tsoueki, whatever.

I found him the morning of June 4th at 5:30am at the bottom of the cage, and gave him a proper burial in the garden below my balcony. I decided I will never again keep a caged bird. Though they bring joy and a sweet song, birds are meant to soar, and enjoy the freedom of flight. This morning, I will miss his little "beep", but I know he is in a better place.

I remembered that Mozart kept a little bird, too, a STARLING, (shown at left) that he even wrote about to his father in a letter dated May 27, 1784. He named it Vogel Star, and noted that it could imitate his compositions! Starlings are great mimics.

Mozart even noted Vogel's expense in a notebook, and jotted down "That was fine!" when relating the bird's whistle compared with a piano theme he got it to learn. Vogel Star, unfortunately, died three years later, and Mozart gave his beloved pet a special burial, with veiled mourners in attendance. He even wrote a poem tribute as an obiturary:


Here rests a bird called Starling,
A foolish little Darling.
He was still in his prime
When he ran out of time,
And my sweet little friend
Came to a bitter end,
Creating a terrible smart
Deep in my heart.
Gentle reader! Shed a tear,
For he was dear,
Sometimes a bit too jolly
And, at times, quite folly,
But nevermore
A bore.
I bet he is now up on high
Praising my friendship to the sky,
Which I render
Without tender;
For when he took his sudden leave,
Which brought to me such grief,
He was not thinking of the man
Who writes and rhymes as no one can.

Our pets give us great joy, but we are only their caretakers for the time they spend with us. They belong to God, one of the most beautiful parts of His Creation. Innocent, loving, generous, and loyal, our pets deserve our respect and love in return. R.I.P., Captain Morgan - you will be long remembered! And so, I write this little poem for you:


Farewell, my Captain!
On to sail another sea
Fair wind and tide, I hope, will follow thee.
A voyage of Light be found
Where eternal joy and peace abound.
No limits, to soar with wings unfurled
And, there to discover the Uncharted World.