The Deer

By Meghna Pranesh Badami

I saw a Sambar deer today,

Deep in the dense forests of the Ghats.

She gracefully hopped across to give us way,

As if we weren't the intruders in her territory.

We slowed the monstrous jeep down,

Not a word, not a sound.

Till we were right across from her furry paws,

Staring breathless and in awe.

A gaze into the trees she pranced into,

Revealed not just her but also friends and family.

Now this may prove to be rather cliché,

But they seemed larger than life, all three.

And they stopped to stare,

With the softest and friendliest of glares.

For a moment time ceased to exist,

The scene seemed cleared of all fog and mist.

As I stared into her saucer-like eyes,

With her left ear wincing occasionally.

And I'm not making this up, I swear,

But it truly felt like she had something to say.

Now with our new found connection,

"What do you want me to know?" cried my mind with desperation.

Tales of the forest, secrets of your ways?

Or maybe deeper, more spiritual meanings to life?

Our eyes seemed connected by an unnatural, unexplainable force.

We were no longer hunter and prey, or man and beast.

Just two forms of life in our primal and survival modes:

Finding our paths in the expanse of this universe.

I didn't want to hurt her, neither did she me.

There was a mutual sense of respect for the other species.

Like we were bowing our heads to each other,

In gratitude for making our lives richer.

I still sat perplexed,

What was this power she had over me? I was vexed.

As I attempted to unlock ancient secrets of this planet,

Which seemed deep hidden in those big, brown and beautiful orbs.

Till whispers from my friends in the backseat,

Pulled me back from the higher realm of reality.

'Will I experience this bliss again? Can I ever interpret the wisdom she tried to express?'

I wondered, as we drove farther away from civilization.

By Meghna Pranesh Badami