playing possum
From the window, Thalia watches the forager munch a piece of apple. “Lehhhht’s get a photo!”
Calliope slips into her boots and out through the sliding glass door.
Nią crouches and creeps.
Sensing something amiss, the possum turns and hightails it into the brush.
“Oh whelllll —” Thalia pulls out the paints, "now we gehhhht to make one!”
It is odd but agitation or contest of any kind gives a rebound to my spirits and sets me up for a time.
~Lord Byron
A note from LoveLetterist:
Possum sightings are a dime a dozen in my neck of the woods. One year we had a fellow coming right up to our patio door. I fed it veggie scraps. 🤷🏻♀️
And it's true that we recently saw a possum from the window and snuck out to take its photo.
I got a distant picture of its rear end retreating.
There's a watercolor artist over on IG who makes animal images that are delighting me. Her work inspired me to re-create a possum, or opossum, depending on your preference. :)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzjvsFBuckh/
Ahh, LoveLetterist, another fine work of art to jump start my day! Mayhaps we all harbor a Lord Byron tendency?
I quickly recalled an incident from my freshman year of college. Returning from the computing center at midnight -thirty, I found a sizable possum in the middle of an intersection, playing possum. To prevent death by car, and warmth on a bitterly cold night, of course I took it back to the dorm with me. I first encountered Josef, from Tehran, Iran, who exclaimed, “Holy f*%k, a puu-somm!” (He was an understudy of Thalia.) Then, “I need to go get my roomie.” He did. Roomie was unimpressed. To share the wealth we took Mr. Puu-somm to the third floor. Lots of students from big cities, who immediately cried, “Rat, it’s a giant rat!” No words could change their minds so they called Campus Police. 🤭 Arriving with a “snake-catching stick,” Mr. Marsupial was quickly bagged and returned to the freezing night air. The end...
Returning to the “possum” article, I was surprised to read of their short lifespan. Two years! Shorter than many song birds that live four years. Nature!
It’s not everyday I go down a rabbit hole and find an opossum! Thanks for providing such a clear path, Gail. 😊