Jackal and PeacockA collaboration between Nicole Dornsife and myself, based on the fable 'the Jackal and the Peacock'.The Jackal and the Peacock were the best of friends and always ate their lunch together. The Peacock ate some ripe plums while the Jackal brought a plump kid for his meal. Said the Peacock, "I was raised with good manners and always plant the seeds from my plums after my meal. This way I am being considerate to other hungry peacocks who might wish to eat from the plum trees these seeds will someday become." The Jackal, feeling this was a rather lofty remark and not wishing to be outdone replied "I also plant the bones of my meal for the very same reason!", and proceeded to sow the remains of his lunch into the soil. As the weeks went on and the two came upon this same spot to admire their gardens, the Peacock's seeds had sprouted green stems while the Jackal's bone garden had, of course, remained unchanged. "Bones take awhile to germinate" said the Jackal with certainty, "I have known them to remain in the ground for quite some time without any results."The Peacock scoffed and said to the Jackal in a condescending tone "Huh! Well, in my experiences I have known bones to remain in such a state for years." The two returned to their gardens week after week and when the Peacock's plum tree had matured and bore fruit he turned to the Jackal and said rather sarcastically "My my it seems your bones are taking their time, but imagine when they /do/ start growing, what a feast you shall have! Too bad you can't eat plums in the meantime." The Jackal having endured weeks of the boastfulness and sarcasm of the Peacock finally snapped in rage "If I cannot eat plums I will eat the plum eater!" and at that, pounced upon the Peacock and ate him. Moral: It is never safe to be wiser than one's friends September 2007 6" x 4" Acrylic. |