he had no trouble conceptualising

what he had trouble with was the detours that occurred to him in route

to another it might be a skirt or Pretty! or Sparkly!

but concepts were rendered in words and their words collided as if at a childs bumper car ride careening and juxtaposing each arrested physics seeking to derail his concentration

since he was a child he had to quiet his mind remove anything from his line of sight that might distract his attention

he wasnt good at ignoring the minute lures that luridly provoked his mind and hyperbolically tossed him aside askew or inside out

it was profound what little bit it took to steal him away

Yaknow  Souls have shadows

Excuse me you said

I said souls have shadows

And what would make you say that

Just now just around the corner under the apricot tree as I filled the watering can from the upright spigot spiked in the yard Looking down past the rising water in the can I saw on the ground the shadows of the apricot branches and leaves shaking gently overhead then suddenly inbetween them I saw a hummingbirds shadow alit You know how few hummingbirds there are this year So I turned the water off and looked up to see the little guy There wasnt a hummingbird in the apricot I stood completely upright looking for it but I never did see it I returned to filling the can and again the hummingbird shadow reappeared I immediately looked again Again nothing So as I topped off the can again the shadow reappeared and standing the can filled in my hand I looked again Nothing
And thats when it occurred to me
Souls have shadows

Thats a leap

Not really  Last year we had nearly four dozen birds at five feeders Youll recall I was refilling them everyday They were going through more than a gallon nearly a gallon and a half of sugar water a day

I found two dead birds during the summer The neighbors cat took another that we know of  

This year I havent seen a halfdozen together at once

But that shadow appeared on the ground at my feet three separate times

Im gonna pay attention

Ill bet Ill see it again

See the shadows of souls

Dont make light of it

Our roommates are indistinct
Isnt it possible were seeing them as shadows rather than seeing their ghosts

I hadnt thought of that

I hadnt thought of it either until now

Something to consider

I suppose it is

Ill keep my eye peeled  My watering is a kind of ritual If its present I wont miss it

Well let me know

I will

     Im a little anxious

1634,  Twosday,  14  6. 16
 0909,  Thursday,  16 6. 16