I worked with some folks from Japan… one of whom had the Tetris music (c) as his cell phone ring.

In the beginning of time the sun looked hopefully down to Earth. It saw there, amongst the creatures of earth, sea, and sky a bird so beautiful that it could be compared with none other. It was the Phoenix.

“Phoenix, you are a bird more beautiful than all others. You shall live forever.”

The Phoenix sang with joy and praised the sun. She beat her fire red wings and danced through the sky. But the world envied the bird and constantly bothered her with its problems. So the Phoenix set off, flying east towards the rising sun, until she found a quiet sacred desert where she found peace and tranquility.

Many years passed. Some say five hundred others a thousand. And the Phoenix lived on, singing and dancing for the sun. But she grew weary and tired with age. One day she sang out to the sun:

“oh glorious sun, make me young and strong yet again!”

but the sun did not hear the Phoenix’s song. So she flew west to where she was first born. It was a slow long journey because the beautiful bird was burdened with age. So along the way she collected spices of cinnamon and nestled them between her feathers and upon reaching the tree where the sun first proclaimed her immortal, the Phoenix built a mighty nest of cinnamon and leaves. She blessed the nest and found some myrrh seeping from a nearby tree from which she molded a beautiful egg. The Phoenix sat on the egg and sang out to the sun again.

“oh glorious sun, make me young and strong yet again!”

This time the sun heard, and shined down so ferociously that all the other animals had to hide from the burning rays. The clouds parted and the sea receded. But the Phoenix raised her head and bright red and yellow wings and she burst into flames.

As the sun’s harsh rays eased, the clouds returned. Then the sea. And finally the animals and life that populated the plains. They saw there a tree and nest that had not been touched with fire. A perfect pile of silver ashes lay within the nest. And soon those ashes began to tremble. A Phoenix quietly pushed her way out from deep within those ashes. The Phoenix grew and spread her wings and sang out in praise of the sun.

She then found the egg of myrrh, now hollow, and carried it to a temple where she honored the bright sun.

Once the ritual was complete, the Phoenix returned to the quiet desert and found peace once again.

My friends, I present to you The Phoenix:

“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune’s spite; revive from ashes and rise.”
-Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra