MHS: Why or Why Not?

MHS: Why or why not?

Today is one of those days when thoughts of Marin Horizon School bring on
heart palpitations and trembles in my knees. Providence, it seems, is
advising me to move on to something else.

To resume then where I left off last time – with the old Santos place
across the street:

After his brother Tony died, George Santos used to let a few people stay
on the place from time to time under some kind of informal tenancy
agreement – an itinerant artist, a wannabe hippie and the like. One of my
son's high school friends even built himself a small shed and lived in it
for a while with his girl friend.

As demolition was in progress in I snuck over once and rummaged around
when nobody was looking to see if I might come across something worth
saving. But the guys with the bull dozers and dump trucks were models of
efficiency and the only thing I came away with was two quarts of canned
fruit and a couple sheets of binder paper with hand writing signed by
someone with a really queer name. It was some kind of poem or something,
which I managed to write down with my father's old Olympia portable
typewriter when I still had it. The paper was sort of damp and hard to
read and eventually just turned to dust, but I think I got it all, which
for your reading pleasure I transcribe here:

"Beemer, Beeper, Lahtay and Away"

A Tragic Little Tale

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

SCIURUS CAROLINENSIS, gray squirrel
CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS, common crow
CATHARTES AURA, turkey vulture
HUMANESCUS INFERNALIS, unknown automobile operator

Canto Primo

Hark thee, Squirrel, 'tis a dangersome course there thou dost tread. 'T
were far wiser in the bower o'erhead thy commerce to pursue.
But thou art earthward drawn by some rare curiosity
which to thy sad undoing doth portend.

In holy innocence thou knowest not and cannot know
the peril of thy place there on the asphalt way
which Humanescus Infernalis is not wont to share
with thee.

Squirrel, I would advise thee not to linger so
there in thy wonderment or indecision which to do.
Humanescus Infernalis has aught for thee.
Beyond beeper, Beemer, and lahtay, horizons vanish
into bottom lines, and vanish doth thy presence too.
CAUTION Squirrel! Take thee care!

Alas. Too late, didst thou
the coursing Beemer fear.

Some seconds pass
while thou thy folly didst
with harmless twitches, tics
protest.
In vain.

Thou liest there in grotesque grace
now silent
in posture so unnatural for thee,
or me.
Thy whiteside belly heavenward
in ignominious display,

of one more road kill.

Canto Secondo

Comes now the crow,
alone, this one
to attend thee there,
upon His invitation who presides
our mortal coil.

Macabre scene.
In ebon pace and hop the crow
surveys thy lot, 'til lo!
assured by unrequited feints
thy silence is eterne,
a flash of beak of deepest jet
an eye plucks from your face
presented there in helpless death.
And for dessert? The other!

A shadow looms from far above,
much larger than the crow.
Yon from soaring heaven loft
a dirge plumed vulture
drops to earth, in ballerina grace.

The crow resigns in butlered dignity
its carrion advantage to this earnest laborer,
unmanner'd and intent upon
his Providential due.

Talon, beak, unfeathered neck.
A suit for this repast as fine
as Queen's own knives and linen.
Sir Vulture in his way gives thanks,
And tears apart thee, Squirrel.

Hark THEE vulture, danger nears!
An SUV this time.

All courses nearly done, the slate gray bird
on mighty wings takes hasty flight.
An ort in final desperation snatched from
hemotose remains trails Vulture's s w o o p i n g path.

Four feet of squirrel gut, pink and moist in morning sun.

Beemer, beeper, lahtay and a - w - a - a - a - y - y - y !

/signed/ Domarny Arbisi

Gotta go now. Wifey is ringing the dinner bell!