
It was too early for thoughts,
yet I opened my eyes
and met a silence
that wasn’t mine.
A shape
outlined by the soft gray of morning—
antlers, breath, stillness.
A deer.
Standing just outside my window,
like it had nowhere else to be.
It didn’t flinch.
Neither did I.
We were both caught
in a moment
that asked nothing
but presence.
I remembered my father saying
deer always carry something from the forest
inside their eyes—
not fear,
but memory.
A kind of
quiet knowing.
And suddenly I realized:
I hadn’t felt
anything real
in weeks.
The deer blinked.
I held my breath.
The world paused,
long enough
for my chest to ache
in a way
that wasn't heavy,
just forgotten.
It didn’t stay.
Nothing wild ever does.
But it turned its head,
slow and soft,
as if saying,
“You’re still here.
You’re still human.”
Then it vanished
into the morning
like it had never been.
I didn’t cry.
But I opened the window.
Let the air in.
Let the ache in.
Let the stillness
stay
a little longer
before the world asked me
to move again.
We wait for signs, for answers, for grand gestures.
But sometimes healing comes on four silent legs,
with eyes that don’t speak—but still understand.
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About the Creator
Mahmood Afridi
I write about the quiet moments we often overlook — healing, self-growth, and the beauty hidden in everyday life. If you've ever felt lost in the noise, my words are a pause. Let's find meaning in the stillness, together.




Comments (2)
wow soo good
This is so beautiful—sometimes all it takes is a deer at dawn to remind us we're still part of the wild, aching world.