emu

There was a lot of publicity in Texas in the 1980s regarding the emu. The emu is a tall, flightless Australian bird five to six feet high (similar to the African ostrich who has a reputation of burying its head in the sand when threatened). The emu was advertised as a sure-fire investment for ranchers. The emu produced very large eggs, and its skin made a fine leather. Emu oil was promoted as a product with many health benefits. People who invested in emus were promised a big profit.

We had the opportunity to meet a few emus in what turned out to be a brief era. In our rural neighborhood in central Texas, a pair of emus lived up the hill across from us. They would come to the fence as we walked by. The emu I remember best, though, is one we met when visiting friends in northeast Texas - the Tyler area. This one walked up to the fence also, and we and our little kids admired its height, big quaint face, and gait. Its legs were like stilts. As we turned to go, the emu started to call to us.  The surprising booming sound stopped us in our exit. It was not a call from the bird's throat but seemed to originate in a lower part of the neck, or perhaps even the torso. The call sounded like a low-pitched drum, a moving sound that carried far. It carried far across the field. It carried across time, the history of its species. And the drum beat carried right to the hearts of us humans, standing near the creatures living far from their origins.