Inspiration is a fickled thing, many times elusive, often low keyed, sometimes soaring, always subjective. The inspiration for this piece is of the soaring variety, as imaginative as the large kettle of vultures circling high in the sky as I watch out the window. Something about their graceful flight triggered the flow of a Thursday afternoon muse meandering.

The vultures are circling. That's an age worn trope generally thought to mean that they are about to descend on some unfortunate terra firma bound, deceased meal. When in reality they're circling because they have found a favorable thermal that allows them to effortlessly stay aloft without much wing flapping. All the while searching for something dead to eat.

There are various types of vultures, the real ones which are abundant here in Texas, and then there are the metaphorical human examples, also abundant here in Texas as well as the other states. This vulture analogy is nothing new under the sun, which coincidentally creates the thermals, so I suppose one could say that was a double entendre, as are both types of vultures as they feed upon the carrion, both real and analogous.

Have you ever noticed a wake of vultures gathered around a fetid lump that was once a living creature? Have you noticed when you approach them while they're enjoying their meal in the middle of the road, that they know exactly when to fly off to avoid being hit by your vehicle? That takes depth perception and timing to avoid themselves becoming the next carrion meal. How do vultures acquire that knowledge? Are they born with it or is it developed over time by experience, or is it political instinct?

As I sit at my desk and watch the kettle floating on the warm updraft, I wonder much the same about the carcass craving human detritus that walk among us. Those that gain nourishment from the unfortunate souls that catch their interest. Vultures have keen eyesight, some of the best in the animal kingdom. Their eyesight helps them home in on a meal from far above, and on a dollar hanging out of a wallet.

Oh, by the way, you may be considered a tasty meal, by both types. My advice is to keep moving, don't look dead.