It became clear the bowerbirds were teaching me something, something I had understood and boldly pursued as a child but neglected in my twenties. As a child, I was a little bowerbird learning my craft, and purple was the glint in the eyeshine of life. The next chapter in my life would be to build my own bower. The goal would be to honor my own choices, aesthetics, and intuition, not to attract a mate. But if I did this work—if I was true to my own pleasure—surely the people who came to my bower would be the right ones, be they friends or romantic partners.
