Faces in the Dark

Pencil sketch of barn owls © Claudia Strijek

They huddle close, their feathery bodies touching, passing warmth and security between themselves. Two pairs of  dark chocolate eyes are holes set inside white heart-shaped faces. I do not wish to disturb them yet I do not want to leave. This is my first encounter with barn owls and like a first kiss I want the moment to linger.

The two birds stare at me. I stare at them. Do they wonder what I’m thinking as much as I am wondering about their thoughts? Its difficult not to put such anthropomorphic characteristics on creatures like these owls. Perhaps it is simply my wish to believe we are communicating in some fashion, communicating on a level I rarely am able to achieve with most people.

The owls see me in a way that people often do not — simply human. They place no labels on me, they pass no judgment. For this alone I am grateful.

Save

4 thoughts on “Faces in the Dark”

    1. I’m so please you and some others are getting joy out of my writing. It seems to be a good way for me to communicate and share myself in way like no other. Thanks again for reading and commenting!

  1. I like how you connect your observation to your own experiences. And even if you can’t communicate with them, you have common ground for a connection: curiosity. They didn’t fly away. They stared at you rather than ignoring you. How do you know you aren’t communicating? However, I do think they judged you. At least as a poor food source. 🙂

    1. You are right, maybe we were communicating. As for the judging – their stares did not feel like judgment like I have felt from people at time. But yes, there is probably more fat on the mice they eat than on me. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *