Sunday, April 18, 2010

la mort enfin

***

every animal      should get to 
feel  what it is like to        die.
shooting       to kill robs them 
     of the ability to appreciate 
life-     you are a wizzard, you 
scream like a rabbit. go sleep,
go get a glimpse.         go, go,
                 
                                     go do.

c'est seulement une petite mort
à peine                      important
à                          peine valable
il ne sera         jamais beaucoup
il ne sera jamais quelque chose
***

7 comments:

E said...

steph, this is SO beautiful. excuse me while i pull my jaw from the floor.

miss you,
E

finn said...

i've missed you, E.

Thomas Riley York said...

One of my most powerful childhood memories is watching my favorite dog, a dog I'd brought home from his mom, and at the time really considered "my" dog - a cocker spaniel aptly named Gille - rip apart this squirrel after we'd trapped it in the orchard.

I must have been... 3? 4?...

Hours later, my Uncle apologized for having let me see Gille go at it with the squirrel. But... I understood.

And in retrospect, I understand even more. The threat to the trees. The damage to the gardens.

But nothing I can phrase matches my uniquely-childhood naive horror and confusion that I felt watching Gille end that squirrel's life.

Thomas Riley York said...

I pour my heart out, and spambot replies. Not sure whether I should be offended, or as a sign of the modern age, flattered.

Or probably, just angry at the modern age.

Thomas Riley York said...

/ rediscovering the lost ages. Baroque, and the uncharted lands of 4B and beyond.

finn said...

were you responsible for trapping the squirrel?

Thomas Riley York said...

Naw, I didnt set the trap. I'm not too keen on killing animals unless they're about to be eaten. Or so goes my philosophy... but then again maybe I'd just go hunt-crazy if handed a 12 gauge in huntin' season.