Nocturnal Rhapsody
I remember when my first full-body scan showed there were no telltale signs of cancer (after surgery and recovery). That night I went walking along the beach. With clear skies above, metaphorically and literally speaking, I walked a good long block or two and back by the sea shore, slowly to pause now and then, not at all in a hurry, and ended up at a point where stairs lead down to the shore. I stopped to look out serenely at the halcyon skies, placid waters and dry succulent groundcover below me, when--hello! A pair of eyes met mine. Unblinking, for the most part, large, luminescent, with two tufted ears that met at a point—I thought it was a cat, but, to this day I’m still uncertain. It could also have been an opossum, which I think it was, because startled cats usually take off like a jackrabbit.
Here I am and there it was, each staring, both casually sizing up the other. I noticed its ears perk up when a voice of some kid biking along a beach path carried up from below, far from where we both waited. Still it stood, still against the quiet, still and calm and dark as the evening enveloped us both. The thought occurred to me: why not speak to this creature? And so I began a gentle serenade, in lulling and affirming tones—with words that just tumbled out, like a mother might coo her restless child:
“Hello little animal,” I sang softly. “I see you there, in the dark. I certainly mean you no harm. You have such large eyes, the better to absorb the wonders of this world. Did you know that the Creator loves you, little creature? Yes, He loves us all, and looks down on us with the kind of love a parent must have for its child--which could well be the both of us, though I’d not think of us as siblings, by any means."
The critter seemed transfixed! With nothing to lose, I relaxed and let my voice gently carry the good will I felt: “And where do you live? You look domesticated, though there is a certain casualness that belies a nameless savagery in your quivering little frame. What do you eat? How do you live, here, in such a deserted wasteland? Yes, I believe that the Creator is also the Provider. It’s good to know that you believe as well. But where are you off to?! I’ll try to follow your retreat, at least with my gaze, as you move down an invisible trail, in and out of brush, until you are finally gone.”
My little tryst ended, too short-lived a Romance with Nature, as this curious mammal decided there were more important things to do than listen to a silly human lullabying it with gibberish. However, for a rare moment and before it moved to leave, the two of us stood transfixed, bound to one another, for a very short if timeless spell. Then the mystical stopwatch of time began ticking, and I lost a new-found friend as it scurried away into nearby bushes...though the experience left me a profound, if ineffable, appreciation for existence and all that life entailed.
Here I am and there it was, each staring, both casually sizing up the other. I noticed its ears perk up when a voice of some kid biking along a beach path carried up from below, far from where we both waited. Still it stood, still against the quiet, still and calm and dark as the evening enveloped us both. The thought occurred to me: why not speak to this creature? And so I began a gentle serenade, in lulling and affirming tones—with words that just tumbled out, like a mother might coo her restless child:
“Hello little animal,” I sang softly. “I see you there, in the dark. I certainly mean you no harm. You have such large eyes, the better to absorb the wonders of this world. Did you know that the Creator loves you, little creature? Yes, He loves us all, and looks down on us with the kind of love a parent must have for its child--which could well be the both of us, though I’d not think of us as siblings, by any means."
The critter seemed transfixed! With nothing to lose, I relaxed and let my voice gently carry the good will I felt: “And where do you live? You look domesticated, though there is a certain casualness that belies a nameless savagery in your quivering little frame. What do you eat? How do you live, here, in such a deserted wasteland? Yes, I believe that the Creator is also the Provider. It’s good to know that you believe as well. But where are you off to?! I’ll try to follow your retreat, at least with my gaze, as you move down an invisible trail, in and out of brush, until you are finally gone.”
My little tryst ended, too short-lived a Romance with Nature, as this curious mammal decided there were more important things to do than listen to a silly human lullabying it with gibberish. However, for a rare moment and before it moved to leave, the two of us stood transfixed, bound to one another, for a very short if timeless spell. Then the mystical stopwatch of time began ticking, and I lost a new-found friend as it scurried away into nearby bushes...though the experience left me a profound, if ineffable, appreciation for existence and all that life entailed.
70-79, MNew
