Impressions from the river.<\/p>\n
The river is sort of gray and definitely slack.<\/p>\n
Drizzle on three consecutive visits to the dog sanctuary.<\/p>\n
I am wearing the jeans I got married in 20 years ago. I am wearing the wristwatch my then wife presented me as a substitute for a wedding ring.<\/p>\n
These jeans are faded and threadbare and have grass stains in both knees. I taught hundreds of school days in these jeans. I got grass stains while teaching in them. I used to go to the ground with my teaching and life. When I went to the ground, I got those stains. It occurs to me that grass stains in the knees of your jeans is a good metaphor for how to live.<\/p>\n
I want new grass stains for my jeans. How in the world will I ever be able to get them now?<\/p>\n
In the distance, I hear sounds of logging, excavation, and heavy equipment.<\/p>\n
Bonnie is looking for something in the river. Aren’t we all?<\/p>\n
Clyde’s muzzle is inches from my pocket as I sit on my camp stool and write these impressions.<\/p>\n
I picked a few blackberries enroute to the river and tasted them. Close. Summer blackberry harvest on the Oregon Coast is almost here. I will harvest. I might even get blackberry stains in the knees of my corduroys. All my pants used to have either grass or blackberry stains on them. That’s how I used to live.<\/p>\n
I got away from that. It went wrong for me.<\/p>\n
Return to the stains! How is that for a motto?<\/p>\n
Question: will Clyde eat blackberries? I will find out.<\/p>\n
Lots of poetry and prose about blackberries..from Walt Whitman to Tom Robbins to Emily Dickinson (I think).<\/p>\n
The Black Crowes even wrote a song about blackberries called \u201cBlackberry.\u201d Whenever I hear a Black Crowes song, I think of exactly one person in the world and will only think of that person whenever I hear the Black Crowes. I wonder if that person is reading this?<\/p>\n
I’ve written my fair share of prose about blackberries. I need to write more.<\/p>\n
(If you found this post enjoyable, thought provoking or enlightening, please consider supporting a writer at work by making a financial contribution to this blog or by purchasing an NSP book.) <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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