El Venado

Up north for the weekend.
The days grew longer sitting, talking, cooking and laughing.
The morning of the third day I heard an unfamiliar noise. My mind started to waver:
–when you inhale, know that you are inhaling; when you exhale know that you are exhaling-.

The cracking of a twig opened my eyes.

Twelve feet away from where I was sitting a female deer had found her way in to my morning meditation practice; to be more accurate, I had found my way into her morning whereabouts.
She looked at me straight in the eye acknowledging my presence, I looked at her returning the gesture. My hart started pounding as my eyes filled up, we where so close.

Suddenly, from behind the trees that bridged the backyard to the forest, I heard a deep loud breathing accompanied by a repetitive floor pounding: he was magnificent.
More territorial than his companion, the male deer wanted to make sure I understood what his presence meant: He pounded the floor a couple more times while producing a deep guttural sound and studied me from the tail of his eye.

I sat there quietly, amazed at the inexorable space that binded us together.

Then, we left.