Jo Durt is genuinely an awful name. The sin of it is made only more egregious when you know that Kathy Clark lobbed a grenade of inspiration right at me in a single text she sent while I was live in the field taking this photo and reporting her band for the first time:
“82/an is one of the fledglings from the Wildwood Crest condo balcony where Mom nested in a flowerpot! First time for that! Mom is a NYer from Hempstead & dad is a Stone Harbor boy. I saw all 4 fledglings there sitting around the roof & ledges like little princes…. Cool.“
Princesses and princes! Royalty and flowers! Everything was so perfect and fitting for who she would become.
And yet still, somehow, I ended up with “Jo Durt.” C’mon. What was I thinking?
I’ll tell you exactly what I was thinking. I was racing home to post, and I quote:
“I iz Jo Durt, from House Flower Pot, upon Crest of the Wild Woode. Eater of Burd!“
Even when I first told the story of this exciting discovery of a Peregrine in the wild with such a unique backstory, I was overcome by the fantasy that she might be Long Beach Island’s first real Peregrine—that she would love it so much here that she would never leave us, that she would stay and form a family here. I proclaimed it publicly numerous times with complete confidence.
Clearly, I’ve had similar thoughts about every fascinating bird I’ve ever come across on the Island. I figured that even a broken clock is right twice a day, so I pursued the ones that stuck and buried the rest.
But meeting her was different. There was an undeniable sense of destiny, or at the very least, an intuition that something extraordinary was unfolding. I don’t believe in superstition, and I can’t provide any evidence or logical explanation, but it’s the truth. That’s what happened, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.
Every season, I grew increasingly uncomfortable calling her “Jo Durt.” She was, truly, a magnificent creature, a queen, a beautiful flower that had made our dreams come true. And her horrible name was all my fault.
A name holds immense power and significance, especially after we’ve left this world. Other phenomenon associated with us, such as places, seasons, or scents, can evoke fleeting memories. However, the most straightforward way to recall someone we have lost is by saying their name.
And, thanks to me, we will all have to say “Jo Durt” to recall this incredible being.
The Returned To Dirt series was supposed to remind me of how much I cherished my relationship with her, so I wouldn’t have any regrets. But it seems that something entirely different is occurring.
From the very first time I met you, I knew that we had a bright future together, and that you would have an immense impact on my life. But I took my intuition for granted and ignored the special moment when you showed me what our future could hold. Now we know that it all came true, and that you did indeed make my life, and many other’s too, more wonderful than we could have ever imagined.
I regret not reading Kathy’s text more thoughtfully. You deserved so much more than anything I was ever able to give you.
Say something kind