Peonies And Honeysuckle

I awoke this morning and inhaled a lungful of the sweetest, most floral air I’ve tasted in some time. The sky was lightening up in the east and the birds were already warming up for their concerto. The coffee tasted good and the floorboards were cool and smooth beneath my feet, and I wasn’t too, too achey or groany, so it was starting off to be a decent late May Wednesday.

Then I made the mistake of checking the local news.

The governor of my state has issued a mandate that all of his cattle must henceforth. wear a face mask while in public.

My own voice blended with the birdsong outside, but it was not a harmonious sound. Ah, well. Another step on this path.

I was thinking this morning of a woman I used to work with, an older lady. She was a longtime smoker and would duck out frequently through the day to snag a puff in her car. She would then douse herself with air freshener and gargle with Listerine before coming back inside. The effect was, shall we say, less than satisfactory. Her eyes were perpetually bleary, her voice sounded like a dumpster full of rocks being dragged across a parking lot, and her laugh could actually frighten me if she launched into it when I wasn’t aware that something had tickled her.

The lady was forever having money problems. She managed to keep herself in cigarettes, but lived on cheese sandwiches and tap water. She had an elderly cat on which she doted to the point of alarming her acquaintances. We were never friends, but we were friendly, and she was always pleasant and respectful to me. She fed my crows whenever I went on vacation, and would entertain me with raspy tales of their antics upon my return.

I don’t know why she came into my thoughts this morning, but wherever she is, I hope she is enjoying easier times and smoother waters. I think these bizarre days are very hard on certain people, the one who are continually flogged by loneliness and want. I hope her old cat is still with her, and I hope her dreams are as sweet as peonies and honeysuckle on the morning air.

~ S.K. Orr