Black Swan

Ten years ago a wooded area about a mile from my home was developed with a multi story upscale home for seniors.  They took out almost all of the trees in the process but put in a real nice pond and added a fountain and two pair of swans.  One pair was white, one pair was black.

You may not know it, but swans mate for life.  If one leaves or dies, the other stays single the rest of its life.

About two years after they put in the swans, one of the black swans went missing.  I never found out if it died, was stolen, run over/injured, or just left.  The other black swan swam around by itself for about a year after that.  Finally it started swimming closer to the white pair of swans.  They didn’t seem to mind.  It looked like a little family.

About a year after that one of the white swans went missing.  I never got the story on that one either.  It was just gone one day. Since that time, the white swan and black swan usually swim near each other–about 4-8 feet apart.   Not too close but always near by.  And, when they are on land or feeding, they usually maintain that same distance.  Occasionally I see them  a bit closer and sometimes they are on different sides of the pond.  But when that happens I see them checking for each other.  It seems, although they lost their mates, they have formed a bond of friendship.

When I drive or walk by their pond I always check to see where they are and it always makes me happy to see them together.  Kind of brings a hope that they have moved past their loneliness and found a way to keep on keeping on.