The Bridge Between Human Spirits by Khakendra Pun Eagles in the Sky Far away, up above a village's mountain those free eagles kept roaming quietly in their safest motion. A little village boy in old blue shorts and a cotton shirt with a few holes kept diving down the hill towards the bottom of his parents' cornfield. By then all the corn plants had already grown up to this little village boy's chin. Standing in the village of Ulleri, if you looked around you would see nothing but peaceful tall, green corn plants everywhere on the mountains' terraced fields. If ever a God were to offer this shoeless village boy the most precious thing it would certainly be his two beautiful little feet. That boy was me running down the hill in that village. I had nothing to worry about in life. With my bare feet I stood by the stone road, then I began to watch those eagles floating up in the sky. The eagles' widespread wings began to comfort my soul. While I kept watching them fly far up above me, I let my own spirit gain all the strength that I needed to fly like them. I raised both of my hands up above my shoulders. I looked around carefully and then began to fly down towards the hill myself. I might have dived down that hill thirty miles an hour if not more. That's when I found myself flying up and down in the mountains of our village. I was very happy that those eagles had their wings. That way they could fly anywhere they wanted to. The eagles that flew up above me had no boundaries in their lives. And I had no boundaries in life either. Neuli Chauri - Winter 1984 In perfect silence you stand somewhere in our village road. The cool, fresh air whispers through your ears. The warm bright sun shines in the mountains. In its peaceful slow pace of life you see buffaloes, cows, goats and sheep grazing on the terraces of the mountains. No one is a stranger up here. Someone walks by you saying hello with a smile. You smile and say hello to them. If you keep standing on the road you will hear the stream sing down below the village. While nature shines bright with the sun, the flowers bloom with a thousand colors. In the silence of the peace and romance now you hear the song of the neuli chauri. "neul, neul, neul." You can't see the birds but you hear them sing from miles and miles away. Even though we don't know whether this bird is a male or female we call her neuli chauri, which means female neuli bird. I grew up in the village listening to this bird sing throughout the forest. Hearing these birds sing you start taking a long journey through your heart and soul into your life. Her songs become a symbol of peace and harmony where all creatures live with joy and dignity around her. Once you hear these birds sing you never forget to sing your song in your life. For the rest of your life wherever you take your journey you will hear their song in your ears. The song means love, happiness, sadness and joy in life. It means to live simply with what you are given by your mother and nature, and to understand that in all circumstances you will be healed in time by your own inner force of living. The song of this neuli chauri is like two lovers who distance themselves for many years, and yet the love between them remains pure and indestructible for the rest of their lives. In time these two lovers must unite again. The song means unity for all creatures who were once together, lovers who were yet to be united, lovers who yet had to meet each other, and the lovers who distanced themselves away because of the force of others. The distance between lovers is brought closer with this song. It sings about two lovers being able to feel, see and hear each other through the inner hearts of their souls.