he should have paid more attention
to his body than to the old North Chicagoland neighbourhood he walked through through the oak and elm chestnut sassafras maple catalpa and beech
but it was
Fall the leaves were fantastic aflame coloured yellow red ochre shivering
and trembling in the windsome letting-go ahead of an oncoming rain
he turned up his coat collar against the crispness jabbed his hands deep into his pockets
as he walked he became fascinated too by slightlybroken the crackled tongues of concrete drives that ran down to the side streets between the parkway lawn and trees
there were very few blacktopped drives
when he came upon one it stuck out blatantly marring the neighbourhoods picturesque overture had he been an immediate neighbour he would have not only campaigned bitterlycomplaining about the lost beauty but also that their decision to blacktop denigrated their property value and his
Ah
in
his pocket he fingered a stone his daughter gave him a blue lace agate it brings gentleness to the spirit
she felt he needed to be more gentle to himself and others he was brusque often angry as she interpreted his remarks
she felt he needed to be more gentle to himself and others he was brusque often angry as she interpreted his remarks
he smiled at her very warmly when she gave it to him You wanna tell me that not every hill is a hill to die on
Yes. You take things personally. You’re ardent. I don’t want your anger diminishing you.
It wont baby Its the furnace I keep my fire inkeep my water hot Its passion
You wouldnt want me to diminish my passion
Passion, Dad? I don’t know that
passion, and anger, are synonymous.
Baby theyre as synonymous as love and hatetwo sides of the same coin or a keenlyhoned razors edge separating its faces
bemused she smiled her dimples dimpling
Thank you love Ill keep it with me always to remind me to try to be calm
Thank you, Dad, you’re welcome. I just don’t want your er passion ha to express itself, make you ill; it’s stress no matter how you want to paint it.
Ill keep that in mind too
You will. I know you’re mindful.
Yes I am
gentle spirit
turning his eye from the occasional eyesore he also recognised that trees which grew on peoples front lawns were either encircled by low fieldstone or loose paver walls which enhanced their stature appearance making them seem to be sitting tall on pedestals or they were runabout by bricks stood on their edges within them grew a variety of grasses or stands of flowering plants some were bedded with the lush deepgreen foliage of Lily of the Valley others were surrounded by naked black loam churnedoverturned the simple care to aerate their roots
Ah
he should have listened to his
body rather than getting caught up the yards and trees and homes
as the rain began to fall while he tapped his kidney -- if he were blind hed know his grandchildren because the girls always told him before they went on a walk with him that they tapped kidneys We pushed until we blew air, Grampa – he failed to pay attention to the quietweight in his guts
and as the rain fell he cramped but the cramping wasnt sustained if only it sustained itself a halfblock more he wouldnt have shit himself
as the rain began to fall while he tapped his kidney -- if he were blind hed know his grandchildren because the girls always told him before they went on a walk with him that they tapped kidneys We pushed until we blew air, Grampa – he failed to pay attention to the quietweight in his guts
and as the rain fell he cramped but the cramping wasnt sustained if only it sustained itself a halfblock more he wouldnt have shit himself
rubbing the blue lace agate in his pocket he sighed Vonneguts trademark Oh well, oh well, oh well.
now he had something to do that afternoon when not too long prior he wondered what he would do when he returned from his walkwhen he was back to the home he was housesitting for a friend
1114, Day-between-Two-Ts, 28 8.
19
1249,
Monday, 23 9. 19
