absolved
ovenbird
I
’ve
been
hanging
on
to
a
random
stash
of
peanuts
for
weeks
.
My
son
brought
a
small
paper
bag
full
of
them
home
from
a
restaurant
one
evening
and
they
’ve
been
sitting
on
the
counter
ever
since
.
This
morning
I
set
eight
peanuts
on
top
of
the
backyard
fence
and
now
I
’m
waiting
in
a
state
of
agitated
anticipation
to
see
what
(
who
)
comes
to
eat
them
.
The
desk
that
serves
as
my
living
room
art
studio
faces
the
window
that
overlooks
the
yard
.
I
can
write
and
paint
and
read
while
monitoring
the
peanut
situation.
I
’m
thinking
of
my
grandmother
who
set
peanuts
out
for
the
squirrels
every
morning
.
I
’m
thinking
of
raze
and
nuts_to_you
.
I
’m
thinking
of
the
way
our
human
hearts
are
drawn
to
feed
what
is
wild
.
Maybe
it
’s
a
way
of
calling
what
’s
wild
in
us
,
the
chittering
soul
we
mask
under
layers
of
social
decorum.
Maybe
it
’s
a
way
to
exercise
our
benevolence
and
empathy
.
Humanity
,
as
a
whole
,
could
certainly
use
a
lot
more
of
that
type
of
exercise
.
Maybe
it
’s
a
way
to
stay
curious
.
As
I
set
the
peanuts
out
the
act
contained
a
question
:
who
will
come
?
Who
is
out
there
,
hungry
and
alive
?
Who
wants
to
share
my
bounty,
small
as
it
is
?
Who
will
help
me
tell
the
tale
of
joy
found
in
a
tiny
gesture
of
generosity?
Who
will
accept
my
penance
,
and
absolve
me
of
sin
?
260119
what's it to you?
who
go
blather
from
