the krishna bird

she could make out a deep blue colour
and a border of the same deep, saturated red
but it was very fuzzy
and she could not make out the exact shape

there were many other sequences then
meandering and confusing

and then finally there was the bird again
clear and shining this time,
as if its feathers were underlined with jewels
a rich, shining blue - indigo - black
were its feathers
and a dark, creamy, lustrous red lined them

it looked at her with glittering black eyes
wisely, steadily, as if it was prompting her
to understand something

**

she googled it, as was her wont
and found that birds are a symbol
of knowledge, wisdom, and freedom

hmm, she said
the message must be really important
because it really struggled to come to me
trying once, failing to manifest
before finally appearing in its full glory


**

randomly she picked up a book
by a childhood favourite writer
that she had not read in ages

there was a story about a whistling thrush
a bird that sings sweet songs,
said the story,
because it imitates
the music of krishna himself

on an impulse she googled
the whistling thrush
because she wanted to see
what the krishna bird looked like

and there it was on her screen,
the bird of her dreams
bright and glittering blue

oh yea? he said
maybe it means you should heed
the knowledge that krishna has to share

**

guess what, he said
i am learning a new instrument
the lower notes are so soft
that it has altered my whole personality
my way of thinking and responding to people
just by blowing on it,
i am more soft, more calm
everyone should learn to play the bansuri,
he said
no wonder krishna liked to play it

and guess what, she said
legend has it that the little whistling thrush
sounds like Krishna's flute

**

they thought it was a message for her
while all along
the bird came into her dreams
to leave a message for him

(no one can write as well as O. Henry
but a girl can pay a tribute to her hero)