animals

       Running early in the morning just before dawn I was crossing over a familiar crosswalk.

                  I had just crossed the street where the white building is and the corner of the chapel 

              where my dear friend sally played piano.

                  I guess I startled it, as I approached it, this large furry animal had gone a quarter up 

               the tree after a squirrel 

                  It was huge.  It slid down the tree and growled loud.

                  I froze, and yelled, “Go away, go away,” loudly. Many years in Alaska with 

             bears common place, you are taught, do not run and scream as loudly as possible.

            It took off across the street and I stood there for a moment frozen, before I started  

             on.   The squirrel had gone all the way up the tree. 

           So, I slowly started to continue down the walk toward 12 th brick the old prison when I  

           heard something again.

          I turned around and the animal had crossed back over, and I thought omg what if he is  

          coming after me.

                  I stood there watching him in the distance, he paused and went into the weeds and  

         brush and down the hill near toward the railroad tracks.

                  They have turned the lights off early and making the streets dark as the days get  

         shorter.  

         We looked them up, and yes, they roam more at dusk and dawn and go after small  

         rodents 

                  And the one thing they said was DO NOT RUN.

                  I did not, but GOD I WAS SCARED.

                  His growl was something I will not forget for a while.  A sound is hard to describe.

              I have encountered many wild animals running in Panama and as far north as 

              Alaska, but none so threatening as I felt with this one.  I was glad it was so dark, 

             I do not think I would want to remember the way it looked.  The sound was enough. 

"Master, pity they servant ! 
He is deaf and 3 parts blind.
He cannot catch thy commandments. 
He cannot read Thy mind. 
Oh, leave him not to his loneliness; 
nor make him thy kitten scorn.
He hath none other God than Thee 
since the year that he was born . 

Lord look down on they servant! 
Bad things have come to pass. 
There is no heat in the mid-day sun, 
nor health in the way side grass. 
His bones are full of an old disease-
his torments run and increase. 
Lord, make haste with thy lightenings 
and grant him quick release."
 —-Rudyard Kipling, ‘ His Apologies ‘ 1932