Leap of Understanding....

NU, with her Wordless Wednesdays, makes you truly wordless with this.

There are lot of these folks, where I live. And I have always wondered what they thought about their biped cousins.

Comment on Nu's post, first in Marathi, then in English.....

(photo by Nupur Phatak)

मधूनच पोट खाजवत ,
आंब्याची चव घेत
“लागलेली” फळं खाली फेकत ,
क्षणभर बत्तीशी दाखवत,
ती वर बघते …

बेधुंद फांद्यावरून उड्या मारत
न ऐकणारी ती दोघं,
मस्तीत गुल….

मग ,
एक मोठ्या भावा सारखा
दिसणारा, पण नसणारा ,
दोन पायावर चालणारा
कुर्हाड घेउन आला
झाडावर जीवघेणा घाव घालायला
आणि
न ऐकणारी ती दोघं,
आयुष्यातली
सर्वात मोठी उडी घेउन ,
गडबडीने,
घाबरून,
आईच्या पदराखाली धावली ….

आंबे बाजूला सारून ,
मान हलवत
एक मोठा श्वास घेत
ती म्हणाली ,
“तरी मी म्हणत होते ,
आजकाल झाडांचं काही खरं नाही ,
ही आजकालची मुलं, ना ,
अगदी ऐकत नाहीत …”

Active scratching
on
a Simian stomach,
she sits,
peeling
and checking mangoes,
throwing aside
those
with a spot
of dark doubt....

An upward
indulgant
glance,
at
her defiant little ones
in a wild game
swinging
across branches....

Unseen,
someone,
like them,
almost ,
but not really,
a brother,
but
on two legs,
approaches
their tree,
with an axe,
raised to hit....

And
her defiant little ones,
suddenly aware,
take
the biggest leap
of their life,
straight
into the folds,
safe,
into their mother's arms...

She shoves aside
the mangoes,
gathers her brood,
shakes her head
in sorrow.

A deep sigh
in sorrow,
" Kids !
they
never listen,
these days....
You
can never tell
about
endangered trees,
these days,
can you ?....."