Tuesday, May 20, 2014

sparrows and mice

Four sparrows the other day were flying as a small flock. Their destination was not evident. They were weaving in and out and about, as though creating a tangible fabric from invisible threads, as though there were material of weight among them.

Watching them brought to mind the Walt Disney animated movie ‘Cinderella’, from the 1950s. The cartoon sparrows and bluebirds and mice were accomplished in many ways, and one was sewing gowns. The birds wove back and forth with ribbons and threads, while the mice manned the scissors. They sang in high pitched voices a song about ‘Cinderelly, Cinderelly’ as they worked. The art was rich and colorful, the characters entertaining!

Some of Disney’s cartoonists must have had the souls and observational habits of naturalists. Movies such as this one, ‘Fantasia’, ‘Songs of the South’, ‘The Little Mermaid’ suggest a deep familiarity with the interactive nature of plants, trees, and creatures of our world.

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