In Anticipation of a Photogenic Tiger
Photo: Shivangi Mishra
Creative Nonfiction: ‘The street neatly divides the forest landscape into two almost symmetrical halves, but would the creatures of the wild adhere to road etiquette? In the human world, boundaries bespeak identity, and boundaries help masquerade.’
There is an unceasing expanse of verdure that outlines the roadside around the golf course. Each time I take a stroll here, I elbow my way forward under the setting sun, expecting the possibility of unsolicited arrivals from the adjoining wilderness. The street neatly divides the forest landscape into two almost symmetrical halves, but would the creatures of the wild adhere to road etiquette? In the human world, boundaries bespeak identity, and boundaries help masquerade. Unfettered seasons of continuous green and sky lay divided into pallid squares and rocks and ashes. A saggy shrub flutters like an undesired flag on an already dogeared page. The broken shrub could hardly care to mark the onset of grids and boxes. How do I enquire about that old fuchsia chaos that now lay cut open into order? One thriving world juxtaposed with clean symmetry. Curiously, there are no borders in sight, and hence no rules in practice. We do have visitors from across the gravelled pathway every now and then. News about a faraway trespass causes furore. Crafted in stately precision, maybe the boulevard serves as a jocund retreat to the trespassers. As I stride forward, the crimson sky overhead sketches a dichromatic brick-laden clock tower. A towering structure rising to the sky, only to humbly stoop to the pedestrian passageway, to exchange pleasantries, I reckon. I hear artists, on and off stage, performing an acapella. Most of these artists are tamed, a handful of them happen to be trained. Just to make sure that the passing audience do not exit in distaste. But the trees rustle while the hyenas howl in unison. There is a natural melody where deafening silence marks the crescendo. I exchange an unswerving glance with one hyena. Hyenas happen to be elusive beings. They stayed put longer than the dark night. A gust of dry summer sand and stale evening light collides into each pedestrian. Undaunted, they persist in their occupation. I intuitively raise my gaze in inquiry to the forever transitioning sky. An uninterrupted platform to rest my wandering vision. While my gaze briefly retreats in the vast sky, I hear a crack in the wind. After hours of incessant work, the sun calls it a day. At once, I sense a diminished vigour in the swirling trees. I see the wind turning serene, as a child turns quiet in a dark room. Despite our many efforts, it seems the human world is still permeable. A loud roar quietens our dulcet evening. Thunder rumbles as a homeless satin-curtain shimmies its way along the howling summer wind. A pall of satin-white whooshes past the boulevard. A shadow menaces and closes distance. Meanwhile, I spot a cloud of swarming birds descending to the ground. I locate lavender-bougainvillea filing out like a stream of courage. I observe none retreating to their cocoons, save humans. That odd little hyena still smirks a warrior-like cry before it fades into a silhouette. As pounding moments float by, the curtain of haze gradually dissipates, leaving behind another frame of strutting white. Under the wretched glory of the vanishing sun, a storm of black canters its magnificent gait. The ochre sky left behind by the sun. There is no distinct time that divides dusk and dark, just a discreet whisper. I envision transient fireflies trying to emulate the incandescent sun. Fireflies, they dance their brightest glow amidst the darkest hour. In the utter darkness of now, there races a lone streak of cantering strides. The racing light that never ceases. The light that pierces the line that demarcates. If at all there was a battle, it has been won, I suppose.
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Shivangi Mishra is currently pursuing a doctorate in copyright law at National Law University, Delhi. She earned a specialisation (LL.M.) in personal laws at Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. Her writings feature on Maryland Literary Review, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Ephemeral Elegies, Adelaide Literary Magazine, The Hindu, Madras Courier, The Chakkar, Society of International Law and Policy, Law School Policy Review, Kautilya Society, etc. She is on Instagram: @_shivangimishraa.
