A Delicate Balance

(Why scholarly owls shouldn’t mix art with family)
Moonglasses: not quite ®Everett Ayscough

Blinkey, a scholarly owl with exquisite manners, had a secret. While other owls were napping, he was practising his greatest talent: balancing. After a particularly intense session, he left his favourite round glasses resting in a rather creative arrangement.

He had managed to perch one arm perfectly inside the other, creating a modern miniature piece that defied gravity. ‘Perfect’, he hooted softly.

He was just admiring his handiwork when his annoying, hyperactive cousin, Beau, swooped in. ‘Hey Blinkey! You know, for a smart guy, you sure wear goofy glasses,’ Beau said, landing near the delicate masterpiece. ‘Why is that one doing the limbo?’ He gestured with a wing.

Blinkey bristled. ‘That is a demonstration of structural integrity and poise, Beau. It is not the limbo at all.’

Beau, of course, could not help himself. He gave the frame a nudge. The entire structure collapsed with a tiny clack!

‘Oops!’ said Beau, not looking remotely sorry. ‘Poise, huh?’ Blinkey glared, but Beau had already spotted a field mouse and dived away. Blinkey sighed, carefully re-engaging the arms, exactly as they were previously. The world, at least the creative one, was balanced again.

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Former diplomat and globetrotter, Dan Costinas is a versatile contemporary writer, translator, and editor. A true polyglot, he has authored and contributed to several dozen books spanning mainly fiction, essays, aphorisms, reviews and criticism, journalism, and poetry.

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