And the narrator quotes, “The phoenix is a bird that lives for a long time. On the last day of her existence, she is not quiet. When twilight drops its black curtain on the face of the horizon and the stars twinkle around the moon when the shadow of illusion and fear hugs the town when the nocturnal birds honour the dusk. The phoenix starts singing in distress. Her voice deepens as the sky changes to an orange-pink colour, and she becomes louder and louder. Alas, amid the unrest, the phoenix gets into blazes and burns to the ground. Dawn advances with the sun climbing on the shoulder of the cliff, and a young phoenix is born from her mother’s ashes and soars to a new adventure. This is the fate of the phoenix.”
What is it? Do I see a parallel between this story and a human’s path through life? I wonder, as long as mankind sees Mother Earth dress and undress into spring, summer, fall, and winter. Until we taste the nectar of life and smell the scent of an annual cycle. As long as we hear the birds’ chorus among the trees, our hearts desire and transcend for a lover’s touch.
And such is the destiny of mankind.
Excerpt from the memoir A Quest for Identity
