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Melanie Bettinelli's avatar

I take pictures of dead things too. There is something so beautiful about every living creature, even in death. And the irony is that you can get closer to them when they are dead, really see the details, the small perfections, that you can't see when they are alive. I haven't yet made art out of any of them, but I feel those images of feathers and bones are stored somewhere deep and could become art someday.

The story of the destructiveness of the children breaks my heart as a mother who has worked hard to cultivate a love of nature in my children. My children share my fascination with creatures living and dead and are often the ones to point out to me the carcass of a baby seal, the bones of a bird, the claw of a crab. We are so disconnected from nature and from death. I would like to think the reaction was a reaction to death itself, a sort of primal rejection, a lashing out from not knowing what to do. I'd like to think it was a kind of momentary insanity. But I fear it as a signpost of what we've lost-- like Robert MacFarlane's Lost Words poems-- our humanity diminishing. As even the birds themselves have more reverence for their dead than we do.

Thank you for capturing the beautiful and the ugly and the heartbreaking.

I've never seen a corvid funeral before, your video was very moving.

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sonja ringo's avatar

I feel the exact same way, on how we can really appreciate/adore/inspect these creatures in death.. when they're alive it's hard to get close.. there is such a beauty in it. I'd love to see your art if you do make that tpe of art someday <3

It sounds like you're doing motherhood exactly how I'd want to, if I had children! Instilling that appreciation for nature in them is so important.. for their sake and the world! Thanks so much for reading this and for resonating. I also felt our humanity diminishing as I saw what those kids did, but also maybe you're right about it being a primal rejection/momentary insanity.. it was difficult to witness

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Violet Farraday's avatar

This ripped at my soul in the most intense and beautiful way. I love magpies...I love all corvids 🖤

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sonja ringo's avatar

Corvids are incredible creatures :’) Thanks for reading, Violet <3

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petrichor's avatar

i'm happy to see there's others like me - haven't agreed with anything in my heart more than this in a good while. glad to have visuals too. i love animals

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sonja ringo's avatar

my heart is happy to know i've found a kindred spirit in you <3 i love animals so much too, they are so pure

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wildflower's avatar

Sad and beautiful. 🖤

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sonja ringo's avatar

thanks for taking the time to read it 🥲

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Stephen Ringo's avatar

Oh my. Thank you. The video is amazing too. They are corvids!

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sonja ringo's avatar

It makes so much sense now, knowing that they’re corvids!! Thanks for reading, Papa 🫶🏼 thought of you

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Gary Trujillo's avatar

Lovely. Best post today.

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sonja ringo's avatar

My heart!! Ahh thank you so much for this ❤️‍🔥 and for reading it!

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Sabian Raine's avatar

This is the most moving piece of writing I’ve read in awhile. Thank you.

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sonja ringo's avatar

Wow that means the world to me, thank you 😭 ❤️‍🔥

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Britney Yunker-Murkovich's avatar

As much as I love your poetry (and love it I DO!), your prose truly transports me. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous, no-words-wasted perspective with us. :)

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sonja ringo's avatar

Gahhh thank you so much Britney!! I’ve been thinking about leaning more into prose and maybe even trying fiction so this gives me the confidence I need!! I appreciate you 🫶🏼

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HANNAH's avatar

This is beautiful x

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sonja ringo's avatar

I’m so happy that it resonated with you. It was hard to pull myself back together and do waitressing right after that experience.. it was so intense 😭

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HANNAH's avatar

I found the story very distressing and very similar to you I find all life sacred, and while death is a part of life this sort of disregard for life makes me sick

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sonja ringo's avatar

same like it made me wonder how many children of this day and age are like this. I don't spend much time around kids since I don't have any and my nieces/nephews live far away.. but is this the overall sentiment of that generation? or just a small microcosm?

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HANNAH's avatar

I know kids go through this kind of destructive stage as babies but I mean babies like my baby now at 16 months. I think they inherently understand life and death are the same. But the torture of an animal at the age these kids seemed to be seems sinister. But I would say you experienced a rare occasion? God I hope. But if we continue to disassociate from nature it ain’t good news

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sonja ringo's avatar

i hope it was a rare occasion too :( but you’re absolutely right about if we become more and more disconnected, we’ll be in trouble.. especially the young ones growing up without a relationship to nature

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Nov 17
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sonja ringo's avatar

ahh thank you so much, i’m glad that the imagery did what I hoped for & transported you!

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