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November 16, 2008
City Opossum
A very loud noise rattled us awake in the early, pre-dawn hours a few mornings ago. We both recognized the sound coming from a portion of our fencing in the backyard that was rigged with corrugated aluminum. This was put there about 5 years ago to stop our dogs from seeing the neighbor’s dogs and having their aggressive fence wars. It seemed to do the trick, but it is not the most attractive look to leave on the back fence... I don’t think Home & Garden will be calling any time soon.
Of course, that neighbor who had numerous pit bulls that were very neglected and often fought with each other, has moved out long ago. We were extremely grateful, as it was quite distressing to see animals living like this. We called police a few times to report the dogs fighting, but nothing seemed to come of it. They looked fed, but there was no apparent attention being giving to these animals, and this was such a heart-wrenching ordeal for us, to say the least.
Our dogs still find this part of the yard fascinating, but mostly because something else seems to be attracting attention in this area. About a year ago, we were horrified to find our youngest dog – a husky mix - struggling with some animal in the backyard, which definitely appeared to be dead. We thought at first glance this was someone’s large cat, and our hearts sank. But on closer examination, after forcing the dogs inside, we were amazed to find it to be an opossum!
It definitely seemed to be lifeless, and even though we knew this animal was well known for playing dead, it had all the makings of a very dead animal.... even some blood on it from who knows where. We checked our dog, but didn’t see any evidence that she was injured... or our other dogs, so it had to be the opossum’s blood.
When we first saw our dog with this animal, it was in her mouth, and she was shaking it vigorously. Nothing could live through this, we thought. We couldn’t fault her, but this is the side of our beloved pets that we often forget about. After all, they have those big sharp teeth for a reason, and it isn’t for the mushy dog food they sell in stores.
Thinking that the animal had the life shaken from its’ still body, I decided to pick it up with a flat-ended shovel and place it in the front yard, far out of the reach of our over excited dogs. We were hoping that it may actually get up and walk away at some point, but didn’t have much faith in this idea. Of course, if it didn’t wake up from this terrible fate, I would bury it in the morning. After a few hours, we decided to check out the area where it was placed on the grass, and to our pleasant surprise – it was gone! Oh my gosh, they really do play dead!
This more recent morning was a similar scenario, but this time it was just lying on the ground at our dog’s feet (same dog) - once again lifeless. After we moved the dogs to the inside of the house, I grabbed my flashlight to examine the body. I found that it seemed to be playing the same game, but I could see its’ nose wiggling... like it was sniffing the air, and one of its’ eyes would just move slightly, like it was trying to see me as I approached. I was very happy to see no blood, and fairly sure this animal was doing what it has learned over a millennia of time to do to survive... to play dead.
We decided to go back to bed and give the stunned animal some time to get away from this backyard area as soon as it felt safe – dogs staying inside, of course. The sun rose, and just as we hoped, he had indeed left the scene, and was now residing in a small tree, completely still and clinging to the branch. It took a few hours for him to get up the nerve or energy to move away from this area entirely, and I was so happy that he finally did!
It amazes me just how many animals do reside in these city neighborhoods. Their ability to survive must be very sophisticated when one considers that the total encroachment of their natural habitat has taken place. There is very little left outside of the man made bayous, mowed and fenced lawns, multiple homes, concrete streets, parking lots, driveways, cars and let’s not forget - very few trees.
Our neighborhood happens to be older, and the trees are fairly large and mature, but still... it is quite extraordinary that these wild animals exist with all of these conditions, and perhaps things really are not so easy for them in the city after all.... such as being attacked by dogs in the middle of the night.
I would love to say that there is some kind of happy ending to this story. I would love to say that the wild animals and us have learned to happily co-exist in the same environment, but many of us know this is more like a distant fairy tale, and that an ever growing number of species have become dust in the wake of human progress.
However, I do know that each of us can do our part to help this world we live in find its’ balance, as we begin to balance how we live... how our footprint falls, and what kind of mark it leaves behind. Even with our careful awareness and approach, we still may not be able to stop the inevitable consumption of natural habitat. It is a sobering thought.
For now, I can happily report that one more clever, wild animal - namely this bewildered but hardy opossum, has managed to successfully survive another encounter from the after effects of the human population overtaking his territory. I suppose that leaves us with at least a warm and fuzzy feeling, and the hopes that he and the other wild animals will continue a long, productive and prosperous life... while somehow existing in these big city neighborhoods. I love to think so.
Posted by kay at 04:07 PM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2008
Dividing the Mother
Like a deep cut made
into soft brown skin -
an intrusive,
unnatural object,
breaking the flow,
moving through the center
of Her large ancient being.
Soil scraped away -
plants, animals, human beings,
separated...
removed...
the Earth emitting Her deepest parts,
secrets hidden for millenniums,
unseen layers and unfamiliar smells,
with outstretched skirts,
an unholy penetration,
a violent act -
as She lays still
in Her infinite patience,
Her warm center -
the heart of all hearts,
Her steady, life-giving embrace...
wise soul, constant Mother...
slowly bleeding.
Posted by kay at 03:21 PM | Comments (0)