Hi Humans!
Nobody told me being an adult would mean dealing with so many dead animals.
crows caw eulogy
circling above pine trees
dead cat in the woods
This haiku was inspired by something that happened as we were trying to get ready for Becky’s surgery. My in-laws live across the street from us in a semi-rural area. On their property, they have a separate apartment above a detached garage they sometimes rent out.
It’s currently vacant. We thought it would be a great place for Becky to convalesce after her surgeries. It’s quiet, and she could rest without the interruption of our family’s constant comings and goings.
We went up to clean it and stock it with all of her supplies when we discovered a dead cat in the bedroom. My mother-in-law had halfway adopted a family of feral black cats this winter, putting food out for them and building (actually having my kids build) an outdoor shelter for them.
Somehow one of the juveniles had found its way up to the apartment and died.
It felt tragic. Fortunately, the cat had not been dead very long—it wasn’t even stiff yet. But the smell was awful. It fell to me to deal with the more unpleasant parts of cleaning up the mess.
It didn’t feel right to throw the cat away, and it’s hard to dig a decent grave in the thick clay (I know because I’ve buried two Guinea pigs, a mole, and lots of goldfish over the years).
I ended up taking the cat into the woods and burying it with a mound of leaf litter, trusting nature to take its course.
As soon as I left the woods, a murder of crows flew overhead, cawing and circling the spot where I had interred the cat.
Be the weird you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
P.S. Becky ended up convalescing at home since this happened two days before her surgery.
what a bummer to find that poor little kitty! Yeah, I wouldn't want to convalesce there so close to that unfortunate 'find'. I wonder how the cat got inside.
Stories like this make my heart sad and glad at the same time. Thank you for showing that poor kitty's remains such caring respect. Hope Becky's surgery and recovery went well.