Deja Vu or Veja Du – a Braided Haibun

Déjà vu strikes as I see the old man on my first visit to the city. I’m sure we’ve never met before, but he has been there forever in my fears of the future, in my tragic stories and in the history of pavements.

I avert my eyes

–till they catch sight of his tiny feline companion. Undoubtedly, the love between them transcends the penury of his bag. They move together, they hunt and share more than food. But it looks like the man doesn’t want to face her expression.

her question seems eternal

Who knows how long or how far is eternity? Maybe a few moments, maybe lifetimes. He is filled with gratitude towards the cat and veja du. He recalls the words in an album from the music shop around the corner It is not real; it’s the grey area that exists between the mundane and the miraculous. It’s the feeling when something ordinary suddenly feels extra-ordinary, like the bond with his companion.

We bond – for how long?

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Written for What Do You See #289 hosted by Sadje

Credit for italicised words – Veja Du

Braided Haibun