There was this odd sense of being watched as I walked,
So I shot a glance behind me,

Nothing,

Looked to my left, to my right,

Nothing
Then finally looked above and there he sat,
Perched on gnarled koa branch, staring directly at me,
Unblinking,
Huge black eyes twinkling with arcane wisdom,

Twin pools of the infinite,
An almost mocking look on his white feathered countenance.
In that moment I understood why the tribes hold Owl in such regard,
Why the Hawaiians considered him Amakua,
Why forever he’s been associated with wisdom,
Guarding the portals between this world and the next,
Part bird, part spirit.

His eyes penetrated mine, seeming to gaze past the flesh directly into my consciousness.

We stood there for an eternity, locked in unspoken soul to soul communication
Locked in that hypnogogic state between wakefulness and dream

I lowered my eyes and gave a nod, a gesture of respect,
He stretched his coffee-blossom white wings and silently disappeared into low hanging clouds
Soaring up the slopes of Haleakela.

Mahalo, my Pueo friend,
Aloha…