Taking A Ride

The smell was horrid
like rotten meat
or like the dog rolled
in something dead
then we realized
the smell, rancid
our old cat
had some kind of
organ failure
we didn't know
the recent weight loss
not from old age
as we had guessed
the Friday before Christmas
and all through the house
somber
I had the job of going
to the vet
she was Mike's cat
he couldn't do the deed
he wept before I arrived
with the carrier
in one hand and a Kleenex
in the other
during the whole drive she cried
but she didn't know where
she was going
she only knew
that she was moving in a car
I cried because I knew
where she was going
oh ignorance is mostly
always bliss oh the knowing
of not knowing where the
car will take us
for that last ride of our life
or for the best ride of our life
only the driver knows and
has the burden of knowing
of weeping for knowing and
knowing there's nothing they
can do about it or change it
just like when we were kids
and continued to ask
are we there yet
only to be told
not yet
if she had known she wouldn't
have asked so many times
she would have rather not known
when the time had come
at least she went without
the knowledge and
we were able to weep for her
so that she may run and play
in her own playground above

The Letter C tells my Life

Cucumbers: You pick a young cucumber off the vine. You rake the small sticky but tender thorns off the outside skin. You pop the cucumber in half and smell the fresh, meat inside. Your mouth waters. You take a bite from one of the halves as juice, tender meat and seeds fill you mouth. You chew with a smile on your face. You know that this is the best cucus get!

Creek: Night time at the creek is scary. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. There is no light there. If you go there during a full moon you are lucky. The darkness is overwhelming. If you go to the creek during the day, the view and sound of the water running is inviting. When we were kids we swam in the creek. That’s a scary thought now because we would also fish in the creek. Once my brother caught an alligator gar on his trotline. This primitive fish looks like something made up for a horror movie. They have a body like a fish but mouth like an alligator. I think my brother threw it back in the water. I don’t remember anyone eating one of them. They are probably full of bones.

Coyote: The echo of the coyotes is eerie but fun. After all they are just small wild dogs. During the winter I can usually catch a glimpse of one running through a field early in the morning during my drive to work. I love to hear them sing at night. They have cute yips then long harmonizing howls. It’s quite close to what the movies portray as a wolf howling.

Crawfish: While I was growing up, one of the water tanks on the farm was designated as the crawfish tank. My brother taught how to crawfish. Here’s what you need: a long piece of heavy gauge string, a bolt and pieces of bacon. You tie the bolt on the end of the string then tie the string on a piece of bacon a few inches above the bolt. Then the last thing you need is patience. Crawfishing takes a lot of patience. Once you toss the string in the water, you let it sit still for a few moments. When you feel the slightest of tugs you gradually, ¼ inch by ¼ inch, pull the string in. You have to pull extra, extra slow. I’m talking painfully slow because those ‘ol crawfish are only holding on to that bacon with one claw. When you can see his beady eyes coming out of the water, you can’t move a muscle or he’ll let go. The only thing moving are your fingers. Once his body is about half way out of the water you hurl him out onto the bank of the tank. He will immediately begin flipping around. If he’s a big one (we call them the granddaddies) he’ll back up (hence the crawfish name) with his huge claws open and pointing right at you. This is truly an amazing experience.