Enzee in the Glass Cage

 

Enzee in the Glass Cage 

And on that July morning this is how it all started. 

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One morning Enzee woke up to find himself captive in a glass cage. How he got there we will never know. He was not tortured or sentenced for committing a crime that he could remember. He was simply alone, or so he thought. He was not completely uncomfortable either. He had food, a bed, a sink, lean water and a basin. 

Unable to do anything about his circumstances, Enzee was forced to see all that was around him…all that surrounded him for the first time ever. 

And in that moment, the cage which had enslaved him, suddenly engaged him. It became his threshold, his port hole, his protector, and his maternal sheltress. 

What Enzee was forced to see within the light of day would change him forever. Within his sight, in the light of day were colors and stains and strains of natural light. He saw leaves in rich 

shades of green that seemed suddenly vulnerable, and innocent in the light …to the sunlight with delicate, rippling streams of water, and branches trembled from the morning breeze. 

So many sprays of colors presented a wash within Enzee’s eye line. A blue sky with spots of white and not so white cirrus clouds in wisps of soft, 

feathery colors appeared so close to him now. It was as if he could touch everything with his eyes. It was as if the cage forced him to take the time to see and to witness his environment. When a flock of 

brown and orange robins, red cardinals, and blue jays passed by, Enzee immediately ducked his head 

for shelter. He was certain they were about to collide on him in his glass cage. So vivid were the colors. How majestic and perfect they appeared as they flew high in the sky. It was a marvel that he had never 

seen before. Or had he just never noticed? His reaction was so intense that he fell back on his side. He hid his face. He needed a break from the wonder. 

Looking inward in his glass cage on that sunny day, after finally witnessing his environment, the splendor of nature changed Enzee in many ways. For when he tried to turn away from his gaze, he was forced to look at himself. And in that moment the cage, which had provided Enzee with a vision 

into his natural surroundings suddenly revealed to him his own identity. 

For the first time in a long while Enzee saw himself in that cage. He noticed his long arms, hairy chest, matted hair, torn shirt, scratches on his index finger, scar on his right elbow, and his dull look. He felt his 

parched mouth. He heard the cracking of his knuckles. 

​      Upon this discovery of reflection, Enzee made a slight yet deep sigh of relief. He could finally see who he really was. Like a fish in a fishbowl Enzee was exposed to the light, to the world around him. Instead of viewing life as an invader, often attacking and defending and being utterly lonely, Enzee felt vulnerable as he looked from his glass cage. And he felt an uncontrollable urge to cry. 

Tears of happiness flowed from his eyes, as he rejoiced in awe of the feeling. A new feeling on a very new day. Now Enzee was ready to truly see his community. A world around him was full of wonder with many special features and many interesting creatures and elements. Everything seemed free to have space. Everything that he saw seemed to be content in their places. Things appeared to move through time and place freely serving and supporting one another. Suddenly two small deer strutted by. A loon flew over, followed by a fuschia colored hummingbird. Just before him on the glass of his cage was a daddylonglegs. It seemed to take an afternoon stretch on the glass near his chin. 

Enzee was overwhelmed. That was his cue. These creatures of nature never had significance in the past. Enzee remembered how he usually smashed, squashed, swatted and moved past nature most of his life as if it had no valuable purpose. Now, in his glass cage he was forced to see.In the light 

of day he had spent hours noticing the movement, the features of living creatures, of plants. He smiled. 

And now he was taking a cue from an arachnid to take a nap. How curious Enzee thought. And how appropriate. “Why not!” he suddenly found himself uttering. 

Enzee smiled and felt his whiskers move toward his cheeks for the first time ever. The smile was new to him. He embraced it and his new sights and insights, feeling somehow refreshed and connected to the land. There Enzee felt inner peace. He drifted into a deep sleep. He slept for hours, uninterrupted in his glass cage. It was there that he had the single most restful sleep of his life. A restoration swept over him. 

When he woke the cage was gone. He was no longer observing in a vacuum. He was actually back. Now he was one in his environment. Enzee felt the breeze as he touched his skin. He smelled the lilac flowers, and the waft of heather from the plants just to the left of him. He felt the heat of the sun 

against his body as he attempted to stand on his big rock. He was home again. This time, no longer lonely, 

Enzee felt his sense of community. He welcomed nature around him. He smiled more. And so, he continued his life as peacefully as he could have ever imagined in a world that he now belonged in. And Enzee was never lonely again. 

Think of it – a peaceful place for all creatures big and small.

Jeri Brown, 2017