Sleep had finally come after a hot, tiring day. Some long-pending errands had required criss-crossing from one end of town to another in the dry and blistering heat. The car was cool but stepping out to do the needful was vexing and sapped the energy completely. In the evening, flipping through squawking TV channels had irritated more than entertained. Finally, reading my latest book acquisition to a flute’s soothing sounds helped me to relax and sleep.

Around midnight, I woke up with the full moon’s rays slanting over my face. The moon does that, gently but surely it has the power to slice through my slumber.

The overheated city had cooled and a breeze had sprung up, sighing over the tree tops of the many acres of open land next door. The balcony beckoned and I stood leaning on the cold iron balustrade, my face turned up to the bright orb that dominated a silvery sky. From somewhere, night queen blossoms added their heady scent to the air

I did not hear a thing, no rustle or swish of wings as a flying silhouette came around the corner of the building and cut between the moon and me………..a big bird, I could see it was an owl skimming along a few feet before my sleepy eyes, heading off over the trees with powerful and silent wings. I decided to wait and watch.

This must be that owl, I thought, sitting cross-legged on the tiled balcony floor and pressing my instantly wide-awake face against the rods of the grill…..the bird which my friend said had built a nest in the enclosed duct that ran the full height of the building similar to mine, that she lived in. Fortunately, this owl had chosen a spot from where it would not be evicted all over again.

My pal and her family were not inclined to drive away the owl though it had a couple of demanding owlets that screeched for food almost the entire night. Their demands penetrated to the bedroom even if the attached bathroom’s louvered window and door were kept shut. From what she described, their screams were piercing and quite eerie and had kept them awake to begin with. But just as one gets used to the most raucous of traffic noise, she and her family, children and older members included, had stopped being startled after a few days. Now, they defended the owl when other residents complained about the noise!! I had wanted to see this bird and its family but had never made it to her place even though only a garden separated our buildings.

From my vantage point, I watched a night jar dipping and weaving near the street lights far below, where insects whirled in endless circles. Somehow, these birds too survived though people like our builders and later of course, residents like myself, intruded into their space and took over ever more of their shrinking habitat. The owl had adapted by nesting in the edifices that had grown in place of the trees that were cut down.

After a few minutes I saw a big shape rise up from the rippling treetops. The owl must have perched somewhere to watch for nocturnal denizens to make a move in one of the clearings among the trees. Noiselessly, it glided towards where I was frozen in absolute stillness. As it flew around the corner and returned to its nest in the other building, I clearly saw the rat that hung from its clasping talons. Food was on the way, owlets!

That was an unexpected glimpse of Nature bravely doing its thing in the concrete jungle of our creation.

Before heading back to bed, I kissed my fingers to the radiant Poornima, thankful for having been awakened to see the owl that I had not had the time to go and see…..