Raccoon  -   Susan K, Green    9/13 /17

When Jolie is ready ,

Tired of my schmoozing with the other humans,

She takes her delicate steps up the path ,

Stops to look back at me

As if to say, ‘Are you coming?

And I dutifully follow - sometimes.

Last night we left the cheery clique  

And headed up the path towards home -

In the dark night, the twin lights of the Elderado shining above us,

Glowing, through the silhouetted branches of the trees;

The moon,  a slipper; a coolish breeze forecasting fall,

Jolie’s little plastic bag of poop dangling from my hand.

Near the end of the path I say, “Leash”

And she stops to let me attach it… 

Then as we near the exit

I toss the bog of poop into the grey trash can .

It was a nice toss…

Dead center.

But - 

POW!  

Over the rim 

A raccoon surged up, roaring. 

Arms clawing at the air, head swerving. 

I had never heard a raccoon roar before - 

Oh, I had heard the squeals, the hisses -

(Once I thought it was a raccoon I heard

But when I turned the curve the path ,

No, it was the screech of a baby in a stroller)

But this one roared.

He reared up on the edge of the garbage can,

Looking for his attacker..

And then he saw me…

Ready for a fight, his clawed hands reaching.,

His eyes, glinting yellow, 

Glaring, staring at me. 

I stared back  

We eyed each other for quite a while…

I was mesmerized and he was waiting to see what I would do…

He was motionless, the yellow -eyed glint

Piercing the space between us.

I knew he was amazed, shocked, infuriated..  

Having had a bag of doggy poop land smack on his back      

While he was scrounging in the dark 

For some left over Pad Thai, hot dog or egg salad?

But I didn’t move, except to raise the camera

Once he retreated into the bushes, but then emerged again.

I still hadn’t moved. And Jolie didn’t care.

She had sat down, waiting for me, one more time.

He once more clambered up onto the rim 

Of the garbage can

And went back into the depths to hunt for his dinner.

Oh, as Jolie and I started home- again, 

I looked back one last time

He was hauling a huge white plastic bag out of the trash can .     

How would love to know what was in it.