lucifer raze his hair is the colour of night streaked with pure white light. that's how he got his name. he isn't the prince of darkness. he's the second stone from the sun. i'd never seen a skunk up close until a little less than a week ago. smelled them, sure. plenty of times. but that was as far as it went. in my mind they were about the size of squirrels. maybe a little bigger. the first time i saw this guy on the other side of the back door, i thought he was a raccoon. or maybe a possum who'd robbed a costume shop. he shuffled around in the dark for a while. then he left. he did that two nights in a row. i didn't see him on any of the next three. tonight he showed up early. i was saying the same backyard prayer i say every night when he slid under the gate and started heading my way. he didn't see me until we were standing on the same strip of concrete. he raised his tail and hissed a warning. sorry, i said. sorry. i stepped away and let him go about his business, led by scent and sound in the absence of eyesight sharp enough to steer him from the obstacles that litter the landscape of our lives. 230802 what's it to you? who go blather from