Kindness and sharing

A few days ago, I bought some peaches and nectarines. They weren’t quite ready to eat so they’ve been in a paper bag on the counter in eager anticipation. This morning I opened the bag and sweet summer promise wafted out of the bag. After our walk I took a couple of nectarines and tried to slice one, mush, eck. I placed it on a plate and tried another one, mush. And not even good tasting mush. Disappointing. I looked outside at the day just beginning to heat up and then took the plate and carried it out to the deck and placed where I could watch who/what would like it the most. It wasn’t long before Olive raised her head near the railing and came over to munch down on the mush. Or slurp, or however a groundhog eats mushy nectarines. Both nectarines were gone by the time we had lunch. A small kindness, I guess. It seemed a day when whatever kindness or care or sharing could be released into the world one should have at it. 

Cleaned of flesh

Is memory just carrion
that time picks clean?

I can’t name my third grade
teacher but I see the odd boy,
Ivan, I sat next to all year.

His dirty plaid shirt and paste
covered fingers and the singular
scent that washed him. I moved
my test papers for his wandering
eye, hoping he’d copy one right.

It was really not deceit but a sort of kindness.
The teacher did not care either way
she punished us both the same.

This bit of history
cleaned of sinew and hide
exists as fossil
separate from every sad
moment I witnessed and forgot
that horrible year.