Animal Summer

from Northern Sketches by Gary Bunting

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lyrics

Animal Summer

I open my eyes and listen to the thunder
Waiting for the lightning to whip the sky
But I never see it
I wait, but it never comes

I step outside the house
A small bird lies on its back
Not a feather out of place
Its claws dainty
Breakable
Tail feathers hanging over the step
Tiny eyes closed to the world
The end will come to one and all
I guess

I walked past a rat every day for a while
Slowly decomposing on the pavement
Until finally
The skeleton was all that remained
It was washed away by the summer rain
Deep into the ancient drainage system

I hate that crunch of the snail underfoot
In the dark, in the damp evenings
Its fragile shell obliterated by a gigantasaur foot
A Monty Python sketch
The snail stretched
Lingering in the tread
Poked out by gravel
Drowned in a puddle
The last remains on the welcome mat
Drying out in the sun like a dirty raisin

There was a seal washed up on the pebbled beach
Where I played with my sister
We were kids
I’d forgotten about that
I haven’t seen her for a while, it’s been too long

On the upside, I saved a bee today
It was lifeless on the driveway
Confused, weary, I sat with it
Gave it sugary water, read it some Chaucer
There’s the happy ending for you.

credits

from Northern Sketches, released October 22, 2021

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Hello America Stereo Cassette

A new record label releasing audio recordings of writers' work. Poems backed by noise. Novels as audio books. Stories on cassettes. Curated by Adam Gnade. Currently accepting submissions.