“The Cranes” by Peter Meinke seems to be a simple love story about an old couple reminiscing about their lives, but upon closer inspection, the story reveals a darker component of love. The story follows an old couple's stop in the Gulf to go bird watching. While birdwatching, they spot two whooping cranes. Throughout their conversation and bird watching, Meinke reveals details that the pairs and the cranes share in common. Thus, the pair of white cranes seen by the couple in the story symbolizes both their rarity, their eternal love and their last moments together. The couple in the story is a couple who have been together for a long time and have persevered through life together. When they first see the whooping cranes, the husband says, “They’re rare, there aren’t many left” (196). This is the moment in the story where the first connection between the couple and the cranes is established. The rarity of cranes symbolizes the rarity of the couple's relationship. Although they have begun to develop abnormalities in their health, with the husband "he can't smoke, he can't drink martinis, no coffee, no candy" (197) ¬—they are still able to laugh together and appreciate the beauty of nature. . Their relationship is a real oddity; filled with lasting love. However, this enduring love for whooping cranes has caused some problems for the species. Whooping cranes are “almost extinct”; this reveals a problem in the couple. The rare love they have is also almost extinct. The woman worries about her children because “children never write” (197). This reveals the communication gap between the two generations, as well as the different values ​​between the generations. These different values ​​are a factor in the extinction of true love. Another similarity between whooping cranes and the couple is true and lasting love. Whooping cranes “mate for life and live a long time” (197), which is a rare trait in the animal kingdom. The cranes' commitment to each other reflects the couples' commitment to each other; having stayed together all these years. Even with difficulties in their relationships, they endured and stayed together, while some couples may have given up on the relationship. Although their love lasted for many years, it ended in history. Throughout the story, the couple reminisce about their lives, and while they are, strange details are scattered throughout..