Breath Of A Cobra

I still wonder what made him look up
at the same instant I looked down
before taking that one further step.
A brief moment frozen perfectly still ..
fatal, composure, frenzy? Many a possibility.
We looked into each others' eyes deeply
intent on calculating the imminent danger
to our worlds and our very own existence.

A chance encounter? A predestined rendezvous?
He, coiled in the cool, dank shade of the orange tree
seeking respite from the harsh Indian summer
safe from nocturnal predators and hidden
from the menacing eyes of the high fliers.
I, out to excavate lost childhood memories,
to relive a lazy afternoon, inhaling the aromas
of the dripping water droplets melting into
the deep red earth parched under the midday sun.

All I remember was the intense darkness of the eyes
a pair of sapphires sparkling against the landscape
black like the night, like a dream devoid of emotion.
I return the gaze oblivious to the silence around me
we engage in a dangerous dance for just a brief moment
appearing to hold our grounds and then unexpectedly ..
he withdraws .. a brisk slither across the plain
and a slow hiss resonating in the absolute stillness.
A few yards away, he pauses, turns his head around
shoots a fleeting glance before fading into the bushes.

I was left standing in the middle of vast emptiness
marveling at the incredible grace of the movement
no other soul in sight except for the dizzying heat
and the shifty songs of the ever moving mirages.
I still wonder sometimes why he turned to look
was he taking the imprint of the image for a revenge?
Don't they say that snakes hold grudges for years?

Me? Yes, I do dream of him on some nights
especially the ones that are most turbulent.
A forked tongue flickers; a coil around my head
and I find peace in those deadly pair of eyes
staring down into my own from a magnificent crown
and I hear the whisper of divine secrets in my ears.
Of course, I ask myself now and then the questions
Does he still remember that fated after noon?
Does he dream of the slender female figure
for whom he decided whether she lived or died that day?