"Connection"

Many years ago we visited the National Zoo in Washington DC. One of the exibits was a huge gorilla that was in a cage set beside a walkway, with a wall to wall glass partition dividing the cage and the people. Immediately following the glass on the bottom there was a ledge about foot and a half high where the gorilla sat, with his back on the concrete column, and his right side against the glass. He was sitting with his right leg up and bent towards his chest and his right elbow resting on his knee, while his left leg lay rested on the floor. 

I approached the glass and stood right by him, he looked up into my eyes, directly into my eyes, for a several seconds, then looked at another person's eyes, then another, then another. He kept switching, his look from one person to another, as if he was seeking an answer. An answer no one there could provide. I mean, we were separated by only a few inches of glass, but I could almost read his thoughts, his never ending question. Why am I here? His demeanor was so human, the way he sat, relaxed, thinking, observing, it left a mark in my heart and in my mind. Although he was in a safe place, well taken care off, I'm sure he would have preferred to be in the wild. Since that day I view caged animals in a different way. I'm happy just to see then on a National Geografics documentary, in the wild.