Ibis Eyesore

Ibises have roosted in the palm trees by the side of Parramatta Rd in Granville. One is dead, upside own in the fronds. The other birds don’t seem worried by the rotting corpse in their midst.

Ibises were sacred in Ancient Egypt. Here they scavenge in bins, their white plumage turned filthy grey-brown. With their bald skulls and scrawny necks, they look like worn creatures, aged while still young.

Out the front of Thrifty Car Hire, another one has come a cropper. Hit by a passing car, it’s been squashed under the passing traffic. The beak is crushed flat, a streak of blood stains the road. Feathers ruffle in the wake of cars.

Three thousand years ago in Alexandria, an Ibis killer would have received the death penalty. Here, you can run one down without worrying about a fine.
Why did the ibis cross the road?

Arthur Stavros