The Beautiful One

Black and White Photograph of a Vulture by Robert David Atkinson. 

"He was the most beautiful bird, though his life was filled with others looking away. He learned to overcome the negative by knowing that he owned the sky, riding the glorious thermals, and warming his wings in the sun. He would spend the day soaring higher than most, looking for carrion or scraps others had left behind. He reveled in his solitude, finding solace in the vast expanse of the heavens. He remembered the first time he saw his reflection in the water; his feathers, a magnificent array of colors, glowed in the sunlight, and his eyes, bright and full of life, stared back at him. For the first time, he saw himself not as others did but as he indeed was: a creature of unparalleled beauty and grace. He no longer felt the sting of others' indifference, for he knew that his true value lay not in their eyes but in his own heart. And though others still looked away, he no longer sought their approval, content in the knowledge that he was truly free, a master of the sky, with the whole world spread out beneath him, waiting to be explored." – RDA