An injured galah taught me that what makes something beautiful is also what makes it fragile

‘The bird was not too enthused at our rescue attempt. As we approached, his cries were the timbre of desperate impotence.’ Stock photo of a galah. Photograph: Florence Gabrie/GuardianWitness

We turned off the highway, headed down the road which leads to the pub and saw the pink little fellow hovering near his mate, who was dead by the side of the road.

Having moved to the country a little over a month ago, I was still getting used to the frequency of spotting creatures on the shoulders of western New South Wales’s arteries.