Retro Poem #12: Creek Bed Creatures

[I wrote this poem in 1999, while walking a trail along a creek in Olathe, KS.]

I see a doe and her fawns

In a creek bed in a small wooded area

In the middle of town.

These woods creatures

Are meant to have the forest as their kingdom.

Instead the are relegated here

To the refuge of the creek bed.

A house on one side

And a paved walking trail on the other,

Yet their little enclave here

Is a snapshot of nature.

They bed in the leaves

While two squirrels dance and scurry about

Looking for acorns or something interesting.

Right here we have the Nature Channel

Live, in action, in Olathe.

Two of the watch me

Preparing to escape if necessary.

I don’t move;

Neither do they.

The squirrels continue in their dancing work.

The oldest fawn stands.

It is old;

It is tall, and it has lost it’s spots.

I still don’t move.

I have stayed too long.

The other two rise.

They begin their retreat;

I continue on my way.

What is it in this world

That changes kingdom creatures

Into creek bed creatures?

Is it the same thing 

That has littered this creek bed 

With trash and plastic debris?

These beautiful creatures have been forced out.

Their kingdom has been conquered

By the expansion of man,

By our growing population,

By our houses with big yards.

I am grateful to see these creek bed creatures

And their five minutes of nature,

For I fear

There aren’t many creek beds left.

Bad Bargains (1 Samuel 8)

A few years ago, my family vacationed in Orlando, Florida.  We were all excited to visit Disney World.  Emma was desperate to see Mickey!  

Then, we noticed that our hotel lobby had a special booth selling tickets - how convenient.  And they were at a 50% discount - brilliant.  All we had to do was visit a local resort and listen to a “one hour presentation.”  That’s not so bad.  One hour and then we could be on our way.  

We started right after breakfast, but when we got to the resort, it was packed.  We had to wait about an hour before we even got started.  Then, our “one hour presentation” took about two hours.  

  I don’t know if they have “time shares” in Korea, but these are basically institutions where you buy “two weeks” worth of a vacation condo and “share” it with others throughout the year.  It sounds like a great deal when they explain it.  But financial experts say it’s one of the worst consumer bargains - ever.  

But when we walked around the lush condo grounds, I began to imagine our family there.  When I listened to the sales pitch, I kind of forgot all the bad stuff.  In a moment of great stupidity, we started to consider saying yes. 

Then, in a moment of even greater stupidity, we actually decided to buy.  There are two reasons that was a bad call.  First, it was just stupid financially.  Second, that turned the “one hour presentation” on our way to Disney World into a 4-5 hour affair.  We didn’t leave the “time share” office until we had “shared” half of our day with them.  

Later, when we got home to Texas, we called to cancel.  We got voice mail.  We got “the wrong person.”  They promised that “the right person” would call us back.  When we finally reached “the right person,” our one week optional cancelation period had expired.  Legally, we were stuck with our bad bargain.