And a Cow Walked In...

It was a dark and stormy night...
So this cow walked into a bar...

But in reality, I was enjoying a quiet dinner in the solitude of Indian pipe music, the occasional shout of a neighbor or a yelping dog or a rabid scooter.  The food at the ashram is amazing--so flavorful and full of healthy spices and... health. Period.  Then this dusty black bull calf trods into the garden, full of self-confidence and ownership, immediately razing the flowerbed. Amused, I watched him for several minutes until one of our yogi hosts, Mahesh, shooed him away with a hiss and a spit of the teeth.  

Cows wander the streets here, crowding out the cars, scooters, and three-wheeled toy trucks.  The cows and monkeys number an equal proportion, though the monkeys appear cleaner.  Stray dogs are ramshackle beasts of bamboo bones tossing together beneath scraggly mange.  Side roads are well-maintained grey pavement, while smaller roads into smaller towns are pocked with sinkholes and pot-holes of meteoric size.  The meteor dented roads give way to mud, and narrow into a gauntlet of horns and give-way.

The cows traipse along, unhurried, unbothered; showing by example the life we should lead.