During late evenings, colonies of fruit bats fly across pale orange skies in my city. With militant grandeur, they soar. With purpose and showmanship. But I see them so often that I don’t look up in admiration anymore.
The only time I notice bats is when I see one electrocuted – having made fatal contact with some overhead power line. Electric grids are a menace to these creatures. They die from cardiac fibrillation, electrical burns or starvation.
But it makes for a beautiful sight. The resilience with which its cold claws still clutch onto the wire. The fragile grip of its melted rubbery skin on the rotting skeletal frame. As if the two were star-crossed lovers in the middle of their last dance. Or perhaps, the tenderest end to a quarrel. And all they want to do is never let go of each other.
I think about the time I spent with them at the Theosophical Society campus in Chennai. I used to lie down on the ground, with my palms cradling the back of my head and watch them go about their businesses.
Over there, hundreds of fruit bats have made banyan trees their haunting grounds. Amid the shrill squeaks, and the flapping of elastic skin, there is silence. And solace. It’s remarkably different from being in a crowd of people. While the decibel level may be higher when surrounded by flying foxes, the signal is much better. The vibes – more positive.
I thought I was morbidly fascinated by death, and the still photographs it leaves behind. But every living organism on this planet is affected by mortality. It is the great equalizer. And it’s not as though people with sky-high career aspirations are seen as being morbidly obsessed with life.
It may hurt when it happens to you or it takes away someone close to you. It also brings us together by lending itself to beauty and strength, now and then.
The night
devours the wronged,
even those with charmed lives;
it leaves the boldest,
with benevolent urges and
the restless – bored and
tongue-tied.
(Photographs – Theosophical Society campus in Chennai)
Awesome 🙂
you have presented 2 contrasts imagery in these lines nicely. Cheers
LikeLiked by 3 people
thank you muchos ruchi
LikeLike
and evens all under a custard moon with a Mona Lisa smile🌿
LikeLiked by 3 people
with cheesecake crumbs slipping through the mind’s eye
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! What a convergence! Awesome work Christy! 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
miga nandri radhika
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love how people react differently to night. Really good observations. I’ve never thought about it before. =)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Absolutely! Darkness lends itself to so many different interpretations. How I wish I knew what fruit bats know
LikeLike
I love the first line: “The night devours the wronged,
even those with charmed lives.”
And your poetry has such wonderful rhythm..Loved it 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
i’m glad you did, thank so much for the lovely compliments
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really appreciate the rhythm in this piece. It flowed beautifully off my tongue as I read it out loud.
LikeLiked by 1 person
thank you!
LikeLike
Loved the pics of the fruitbat – our earlier home in Andheri (West) Mumbai, had lots of them. They’re beautiful to see, with a wingspan of 3 to 4 feet across. They’d all fly out of the badam (almond) tree where they lived at sunset – about 50 to 100 of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks eliza!
and that sounds lovely, badam trees and all. also, i’ve never seen them at that size. can imagine the grandiosity in flight!
LikeLike
Interesting observations. 🙂
Fruit bats! I have been meaning to mention, but your pictures–from all your other posts as well–are superb.
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks comrade. muchos appreciated
LikeLike
I love nights spent on the rooftop.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looking for magic carpets and meteor showers, daffys
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always ..can’t lose sight of them ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Two months ago the trees outside my house were ripe with fruit and I could hear these guys feasting till about 3 in the morning!
Could hear much childlike excitement in those midnight feasts!
LikeLiked by 1 person
such a lovely way of describing them. child-like excitement sounds pitch perfect!
LikeLike
lovely!! I enjoyed the poem….especially the last line!! 😀 brilliant post as usual
LikeLiked by 2 people
(grabs hat to tip) why thank you, young lady
LikeLiked by 1 person
How u have a way with words
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely poem and the photographs too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fascinating! Bats are so cool!
I did not know that most fruit bats do not use laryngeal echolocation, and instead use clicking sounds in their wings to move around.
Also, isn’t the flying fox the world’s biggest bat? I didn’t know it lived in India!
Great post! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve become a fan of your writing and these cute birds. It’s funny how until today I was creeped out by bats. But after looking at that forlorn claw hanging onto the line wires…I’m a changed woman. Thanks for writing these articles Christy. Keep writing, Keep us in awe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a beautiful thing to say, thank you so much, Shravanthi, for the encouragement. It spruced my day right up!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What is about death today! read about one of my research idols passing away early morning. And then your take on it. I know its inevitable, but cant life (death) spare some who show promise to keep contributing for the sake of others.
Yes, night does devour the wronged!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww yeah death is such an overwhelming force that it is difficult to think about it without letting the mind wander to sad, and frightening places. I hope it fades away soon from your thoughts today, too much of anything can’t be good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, that’s a awesome blog post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, David!
LikeLike