Ferdinand and I

I met Ferdinand at the movies. We were watching "Blind Side" at the dollar theater for Easter. Leigh Ann, the mom in the movies, asked Mike if he ever heard of Ferdinand. I haven't heard of Ferdinand either.

Once upon a time, there was a bull named Ferdinand. All the other bulls would run, butt heads, and be ferocious. They wanted to go to Madrid, be in a bullfight, and become famous. Not Ferdinand. He just wanted to smell the flowers. His mom was worried because he wasn't like all the other bulls.

One day, lots of important looking men with interesting hats came to visit the pasture that Ferdinand and the other bulls usually grazed at and lived. The other bulls ran faster, made loud bellowing noises, and butt heads more often. The men with the interesting hats looked on admiringly. Ferdinand wandered off and decided to sit on a grassy patch. He did not see the bee. It stung him and he jumped up suddenly. He bellowed and he ran. The men clapped their hands.

"Ferdinand is the fiercest of them all. We shall take him to Madrid!" they declared.

On the day of the bullfight, little boys sold dulces in the streets and men closed shop. Women put on their pretty dresses and wore flowers in their hair. Colorful flags lined the arena. The matador wore his bright red jacket and he waved his shiny sword in the air. He was ready to stick the bull.

The banderillos and the picadores led Ferdinand out and poked him with sticks to make him out. The matador was ready to display his courage and his flashy moves. Ferdinand bolted into the center. And stopped. He saw all the pretty flowers in the lovely ladies' hair. What do you think he did?

He sat down and smelled its beautiful fragrance. The banderillos were mad and poked him. The picadores were madder and stuck him. The matador was maddest of all and waved his sword. Ferdinand didn't care. He sniffed and he breathed.

They took Ferdinand home.
I think he is still smelling flowers.
And he is happy.

In the movie, you only hear a bit of it.
I thought of looking up the story but after crying through what happened to Mike (it was a happy ending), Ferdinand left my mind.
Until I met him at the Dallas Arboretum.

The sisters and I were there on Sunday.
The sun was shining.
The sky was endless blue.
The breeze was gentle and playful.

Then we saw him.
Standing in welcome to the passageway that led way to the marble frog fountains.
He was made of moss, wire, and vines.

There was a brief summary of who he was.
The bull who smelled flowers.
The bull who refused to fight.
The bull who did not care for glory.

A friend once asked me why I didn't go to Berkeley.
My sister went to Berkeley.
Why did I become a nun?

I like to smell flowers.
Some prefer roses.
Others the elegance of orchids.
I like the water lily.

Trong đầm gì đẹp bằng sen,
Lá xanh, bông trắng, lại chen nhị vàng.
Nhị vàng, bông trắng lá xanh,
Gần bùn mà chẳng hôi tanh mùi bùn

This is a Vietnamese proverb.
Translated loosely it means:

What is lovely as the lily
in the dark rank swamp
Delicate white are its petals
Leaves of shiny green
In mud and yet not of mud.