{"id":372,"date":"2005-02-26T06:52:00","date_gmt":"2005-02-26T06:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mercurystate.wordpress.com\/2005\/02\/26\/apology\/"},"modified":"2008-09-11T00:31:34","modified_gmt":"2008-09-11T04:31:34","slug":"apology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seekingsol.com\/apology\/","title":{"rendered":"apology"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cApology\u201d
\nConversation with a Snow Leopard
\nFebruary 22nd, 2005<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all I can think to say to these eyes that demand from me, in unblinking boldness, a response.<\/p>\n

I drop my eyes in shame and break from the naked contact we have made.<\/p>\n

Like a guardian who is left to explain to the bewildering, trusting and truth seeking eyes of a toddler whose parent has died, I stand speechless, seeking words I\u2019ll never find.<\/p>\n

Words and will lost, the curiosity of this beautiful beast reaches right through the wire fence and pulls my spirit directly into the cage.<\/p>\n

Unexpectedly, I find myself without breathe. I gasp…<\/p>\n

And am released.<\/p>\n

The eyes blink and suddenly they speak…<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is this word, \u201cfreedom\u201d of which you think and are trying to breathe?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

My heart drops down. My eyes well up.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop!\u201d I demand of my whispering soul. \u201cBe quiet!\u201d \u201cThese secrets are not for you to share!\u201d<\/p>\n

But the voice chatters on…<\/p>\n

\u201c500 snow leopards living in captivity. Four to five thousand left living in the wild. Poaching continues. Human homes swallowing up their dens. Only in these breeding centers have they a chance to procreate. But such a small gene pool. So many still births. They will not survive, as a species, beyond the next few decades. But this one. This is one of our successes. She was born here this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

She blinks again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m one of the last?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Under this gaze I am transparent. So I shut my eyes in closure of the confession I cannot make.<\/p>\n

Like the last unicorn, we (humanity) have chased another into the sea.<\/p>\n

Dashing madly in denial, that in black and white photos, we will all one day be.<\/p>\n

I hang my head and repeat, heavily,<\/p>\n

My final and heartbroken apology.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

< New pictures in the Darjeeling, India Photo Album.<\/a><\/p>\n

(world photogallery<\/a>)&nbsp(about sol<\/a>)&nbsp(some stories<\/a>)&nbsp(LeapNow.org<\/a>)&nbsp(travel disclaimer<\/a>)&nbsp(packing list<\/a>)&nbsp (photogallery guestbook<\/a>)&nbsp (blogger profile<\/a>)&nbsp(World Nomads Travel Insurance<\/a>)&nbsp(WhereThereBeDragons.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cApology\u201d Conversation with a Snow Leopard February 22nd, 2005 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d It\u2019s all I can think to say to these eyes that demand from me, in unblinking boldness, a response. I drop my eyes in… <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,58,19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\napology - Christina Rivera<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seekingsol.com\/apology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"apology - Christina Rivera\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cApology\u201d Conversation with a Snow Leopard February 22nd, 2005 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d It\u2019s all I can think to say to these eyes that demand from me, in unblinking boldness, a response. I drop my eyes in... 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