EARLY MORNING VISITORS
As I was making a pot of tea this morning, there came a knock at the kitchen door. It brought to mind Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven.” The difference being that the tapping on Poe’s door came at midnight, and this was five o’clock in the morning. Hardly the time for a neighbor to come borrow a cup of sugar.
When I looked through the window, I saw not a raven, but the fuzzy face of a demanding little raccoon. It was standing on its back legs with its arm raised, prepared to knock again. It was not alone. A support group of four siblings stood at a safe distance. There are usually two or three adult raccoons with them. Perhaps they’ll show up later.
Then come the neighborhood cats. Four of them. One white, one yellow, and two gray. The raccoons and cats have their eating arrangements worked out among themselves.
Even though we host these groups twice a day and talk with them as we’re putting out the food, we never try to pet them. They, in turn, keep a respectful distance. My husband had an unpleasant experience with a rabid fox in Texas when he was a teenager. He has said of having a series of shots in his stomach, “once was enough”.
EARLY MORNING VISITORS
What? It’s morning? Far too soon!!
I feel that I could sleep ‘til noon.
I put the kettle on for tea
while George sits and watches me.
Gracie strolls in – “meow” –
“I’m so hungry! Feed me now.”
I fill their bowls and then sit down.
And then – there comes a sound.
A tap!
A knock!
Who can it be?
It’s too early for a visit.
I call out, “Who is it?”
A little raccoon, backed by four,
Is waiting at my kitchen door.
With arm raised high to strike again
To emphasize that old refrain –
“Feed me!”.
- Mary Nolan Brown –
Enjoy your backyard wildlife from a safe distance. From the shy ‘possum who faints if it is frightened (by the way, ‘possum do not carry rabies), to the deer that nibble your favorite plants, with a little patience and ingenuity, we can co-exist.
Until we meet again,
Mary Nolan Brown
P.S. If a bear or turkey gobbler shows up, go in the house!