Deep within the mist-shrouded, stony
mountains of the frosty north, eighty-seven miles from the crippling
chokehold of modern civilization, tucked away in the thickest thicket
of crisp winter pines, there is a clearing, kissed with even strobes
of natural light shining through the frozen branches and berries and
shivering wings of great horned owls like fingers glow red when you
hold them up to the sun to cover your gaze, that houses a house –
or a cabin if your imagination requires the proper term (as if you
would be imagining a contemporary, four-story, eighteen-room mansion
out in the middle of the wilderness) – of logs cut from the same
pines, amongst tangled bushels of weeds, wildflowers, and icicles
resides my religious – and when I say religious, I mean she sleeps
with a King James version of the Holy Bible tucked neatly underneath
the folds of her blue-veined, cellulite-dented arm, the wrinkled
crook of her elbow resting somewhere between Psalms and Proverbs, and
a cross fashioned from two tree branches, the organisms of the
outside probably still crawling within the ant tunnels and knots and
twigs of bark, hanging ever-so-reverently above her headboard and
yellowing, creaking mattress, the springs screeching in protest as
they give way to her folds of fat and matted hair (reminiscent of her
plump, shedding, appropriately-named, worthless-to-everyone-but-her
cat, Fluffy) – conservative – but not necessarily a gun-toting,
bible thumping, racist redneck who loves war, hates peace, and wants
to destroy the planet to line their pockets with blood money and kill
anyone who doesn't look like them or believe what they do (although
the bible-thumping is a point that could be easily argued) – and
senile – she is senile in that “Get off my lawn (supposing you
can call her humble vegetable garden that is constantly ravaged by
snow rabbits and mountain lions and raccoons a lawn), you
whippersnappers!” kind of way – hermit of a grandmother who
enjoys sitting practically immobile in her rocker (which is
surprisingly older than she is), the arch of its oak frame conversing
with the mice beneath the floorboards, in front of the serene glow of
her stone fireplace. Grandma and Fluffy will most likely die alone.
hey edanette, this is ray. i read some of your things and you are a wonderful writer! would you like to see some of mine? let's form a tortured soul writer's society together and wear only black turtlenecks. let me know! :)
ReplyDeleteray