snout
raze
i
show
him
the
gift
i
pilfered
from
the
park
a
week
ago
,
burnished
and
brown
and
faultless
as
the
day
it
was
born
. "
i've
been
saving
this
for
you
,"
i
say
.
a
pair
of
cardinals
croon
to
each
other
in
stereo
above
my
head
.
two
ruby
wraiths
invisible
but
for
the
love
their
music
makes
.
sammy
creeps toward
the
oak's
oval
offspring.
hesitant
.
like
he
thinks
it
might
explode
if
he
touches
it
.
i
don't
think
he's
ever
seen
an
acorn
before
.
he
takes
it
into
his
mouth
and
makes
a
run
for
it
.
he
stops
beside
the
gate.
tests
the
nut
with
his
teeth
.
he
understands
what
he
has
is
too
special
not
to
savour.
his
silver
frame
slips
beneath
the
fence
, tail
turning
to
smoke
as
he
wanders
off
to
bury
his
bounty
somewhere
else
.
something
to
return
to
when
we're
both
better
versions
of
ourselves
.
the
female
cardinal
comes
down
from
her
tree
.
she
shows
me
all
the
colours
she
carries.
she
dances
across
a
polished
bar
of
pine
and
sings
to
me
.
over
my
shoulder
,
beside
the
condenser
that
keeps
the
better
part
of
this
house
cool
,
white
stones
and
clover buttress
the
dried
-out husk
of
what
once
held
a
whole
walnut
.
i
stare
into
its
sunken
eyes
and
see
the
snout
of
a
blistered hog.
i'll
sink
to
my
knees
and
call
on
all
my
senses
.
lead
me
to
what
i
know
won't
be
found
in
the
south-slouching
arms
of
this
province.
220913
what's it to you?
who
go
blather
from
