The Pirate's Parrots

Pirates, scoundrels, cut-throats...

Romanticized and horrific...

Drunken, brilliant, one Law.

Parley.

From http://pirates.wikia.com/wiki/Parley:

"Parley. I invoke the right of parley. According to the Code of the Brethren set down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, you have to take me to your captain."
"I know the Code."
"If an adversary demands parley, you can do them no harm until the parley is complete."

―Elizabeth Swann and Pintel^[src]

Parley, often stylized as parlay, was a negotiation conference especially one between enemies over terms of a truce or other matters. The root of the word parley is parler, which is the French verb "to speak"; specifically the conjugation parlez "you speak", whether as imperative or indicative. The term written as "parlay" on the Pirata Codex was known as a right in the Code of the Pirate Brethren, set down by Morgan and Bartholomew, that allowed any person to invoke temporary protection and brought before the captain to "negotiate" without being attacked until the parley is complete.

And their parrots...Macaws...who live for more than 80 years on average.

The Macaw is a beautiful bird. One of God's most gorgeous and unique animals, the Macaw is capable of mimicking any word repeated in its presence the first moment it hears it. Like a child, the Macaw is open to communication...fully-open.

My first experience with a Macaw happened when I was very young. I was around Age 4 when I met Huey. The last time I visited him was a few years ago. He lived at SciWorks in Winston-Salem, NC until his death at age 88.

It was said that they had to cut out his tongue because he was the proud possession of a Haitian Pirate who ran Cocaine to Miami. The parrot knew a lot of Spanish but only swear words in English. It was hard to find a place for him, no one would adopt him, and that is where I learned all the foul language I knew.

So, what lesson did I learn from Huey?

Parroting is dangerous. If I do it often enough around people who understand only the rule of Parley eventually someone will cut-out my tongue. But, the gift of unique and beautiful expression is offered through repetition.

If I want a child to have manners...I encourage and use manners myself. If I want children to behave like members of a civil society, I offer them an example of civility, and take steps to correct the uncivil behavior when it is first presented.

Huey was the first to ever call me a "bitch."

So, if you want to know the origin of my nickname, there you go.

(I just wish that Huey had called me "Sweetheart.")

~AC