Eulogy to a Swan

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving…except for one thing. I saw this:

A dock for a headstone…

I walked to the nearby police station and told them, and they said they already knew and they had called the “environmental officer.” I felt sad.

When I moved to my new apartment in the middle of the summer, I found that I lived near a park and pond, and I walked there often. I discovered a pair of swans with one baby and enjoyed visiting them. I watched the baby swan’s feathers change from fluffy gray to smooth white. And I took pictures.

One parent with the baby

The baby resting amongst the ducks

The parents and baby when I first discovered them

Cleaning their feathers

A beautiful fall day

I’m pretty sure it was one of the parents that died. I know swans mate for  life. That “family” no longer exists, but at least one swan is not left alone. And I can give a snapshot of a wonderful part of that swan’s life.