The oyster is polite; she keeps herself to herself. She defines her bounds and stays within them. If she spoke out she knows she would be rebuffed and belittled. And so she holds tightly to her trivial opinions and hides her heart under layers of lime.

The gull is pathetic; she strives forever against the nature of the world. Each morning she rises into the sky, seeking the unbroken and holy thing in the center of the sky. Each night she fails anew and falls to basal ground, filled with shame and failure.

The crab is vulgar; she intrudes where she is not wanted. Unsatisfied with what she has, she seeks out a larger house, only to become dissatisfied and search again. Worse, she wanders outside her own space, crisscrossing the sand and forcing her presence onto her betters.

The ant is efficient; she understands the value of teamwork. With kin and compatriots, she scours the sand for what she has been told to find. When she comes across it, she sends word back to her queen or else digs in immediately and begins her task with many hands.

The sibeccai should be as the oyster and the ant. It must take care to learn from the cautionary examples of the gull and the crab.

(from of _Simple Lessons for Sibeccai Pups_)