Serenading a transfixed alligator on the bansuri.

I know I’ve written a lot about alligators already, but that should only be further testimony of how much I’ve enjoyed my time among them fishing together.  I’ve really come to believe that alligators are on a similar level of intelligence and communication capacities as dogs.  In the past month I’ve really learned how to read their moods.  Sometimes they look quite tranquil, but they are nevertheless hunting and ready to pounce in a split second.  But sometimes they actually are tranquil, aren’t interested in hunting, and are just enjoying perfect equilibrium in their habitat, weightlesslessly suspended in the warm under the nourishing sun.  This was such a gator.  He swam over when I started playing music and floated near me listening the whole time.  During this serenade the gator and I locked eyes throughout the whole song.  He was calm and curious, intently listening, transfixed.  I held his gaze and played from my heart with an empty and silent mind.  We shared a true moment.  

There were many other gators listening at various distances.  At one time I gazed over the pond and every gator I saw, no matter how near or far, was pointed directly at me, floating, listening, watching.   The nearby heron too was mesmorized and didn’t take his eyes off me.  I had a better turnout by gators at this performance than I did by people at most of my professional gigs, sigh.  And I believe the whole pond enjoyed the Easter serenade.