indieanbigfoot

                                                                                            he had one inside for years    now he had one outofdoors

they matched up acutely to his own Jekyll and Hyde

his contained Jagoff  socially ascribed

                                                                and his Hidden  his rawer Indomitable

which he preferred more and it keener to his soul

inside was indie

outofdoors was bigfoot

both were born feral

and maybe or maybe not indie was getting the better shake

he had never been kept

though one would be lame not to recognise there were certain benefits and comforts afforded being kept

 

indie was indie because of his stumbling independence to be separate from the rest of his litter  now only another brother survived

bigfoot

            well  he was tagged bigfoot for his heavy bump bump bump footfalls as he ran across the porch one side to the other to eat from a tin pan he set out for him

bigfoot had been lurking in the sparse grass and weed field across the dirt and gravel road from his place

 

it was strung with barbedwire  faded wood signs warned of trespassing

 

it seemed foreboding as most desolate or ramshackle places and lots do 

 

but thats where they took rabbits and squirrels out of  them grown fat on acorns fallen in a stand of oaks at the back of the property unseen from the road

 

bigfoot had additional benefits  gobbling mice gophers and slow beadyeyed birds

he had to admit to himself he was a little surprised that the mutt took to the store-bought kibble he purchased on a whim

 

he understood the why of the china bowl of clean water  fresh in the sunlight cool from the pump  hell  good water tempted him

together  one dusk  one sunset evening  they reached a tentative truce

  

it was apparent the lug was mistreated  he had a broken tail  a piece of his ear gone    so when he put food down he sat on the steps within six feet of it to suggest a kinship   a relationship of the food and himself

  

one not existing without the other

 

  

over time bigfoot let go of some of his skittishness  though he always ate facing him   and over time  after feeding

on occasion bigfoot wandered over and sat near him licking his chops

during all these  over times  he talked to him called him bigfoot talked to him in the manner he thought it would be nice if people talked to one another again  together  easy pleasant conversation  no gawddamn fones or interfacing on laptops  no dark news or crap or current pop culture

 

he talked softly to bigfoot  letting his voice doing the petting

that sunset bigfoot dropped next to his hip as he had many times  too curmudgeonly to purr  and groomed his front paws  the size of a four year olds hands

bigfoot  it was a righteous name

talking  he slowly extended his least dominate hand (he was ambidextrous) to the beast and wasnt terribly surprised when in midlick bigfoot lunged mouthed his hand fiercely and four pawed the whole of his forearm his hind legs tines

at the vein on the inside of his elbow

there were thin scratches  not too deep   blood beading

 

his ears were drawn back

lips curled

but his arm wasnt shredded

  

bigfoots teeth hadnt punctured his hand

he kept right on talking to him  telling him how good it was bigfoot recognised he wasnt threatening him and how he neatly responded  in equitable measured force  while confronting an imagined threat 

 

he talked to bigfoot about imagination and action  their differences  the impotency of thought  the reality or actuality

of that thought enforced

after talking for several minutes he asked bigfoot if he could please have his arm and hand back and how fortunate

they were they had brooked an understanding  beast to beast  eye to eye

bigfoot allowed him to disengage his hind claws with his free hand

 

then with another quick mindful mouthing bigfoot suddenly released the whole of his arm rolled off to a side and tensed up on all fours to either attack or flee

he remained seated  innocuously rubbed his arm

 

he conceded or confided bigfoot his intellect of knowing not to bite the hand that fed him  particularly as it is a passive hand  offering charity  a charity given without expecting anything in return  except perhaps  friendship

then he excused himself saying as he stood  Youre a fine boy bigfoot  I am grateful you thought to leave me my hand and arm intact

he walked past him slowly telling him  Ill see you again in the morning bigfoot

inside indie waited his turn

after scrubbing his arm and hand with soap and water  softy padding it dry  he took indie his food and fresh water

indie was quite taken with the scent on his arm as he set the food down

so he stood bent at the waist and let indie explore sniff his hand and forearm  when he took a knee because indies curiosity wasnt abating  indie put his forepaws to his shoulder smelling the inside of his elbow and up his bicep

when he was satisfied indie looked him in full in the face  nearly an accusation    indeed  a confirmation

perhaps Galatians 6:7   Be not deceived  indie is not mocked  that whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap

indie needed to get out some

but he hadnt realised in a very long time the kind of acumen or grace necessary in the real world

laughing  he cut him some slack 

and as he ate indie  never curmudgeonly  provided grateful purrs           

          

    

1616,  Sunday,  8  11. 15

0115,  Monday,  9  11. 15