evolution

As a child; spring would present itself to me by way of my neighbor, Pauline Jorgensen's sheep, announcing that everything was new.

In between drinks, Pauline raised sheep, and chickens, and an occasional cow or two. She also taught writing at a local community college.

I would go through the whole process with Pauline. Birthing, castrating, loading them up for slaughter. Springs were especially busy. Except for when Pauline's son, Neil, would come over and explain that his Mom had bottle fever. And that day would be mine to go explore some ditches.

Castrating season involved taking each male lamb and placing a thick, blue rubber-band around their genitals. I quickly learned that it was much easier to do this if you held the lamb very tightly to your chest. Then the lamb would calm and the rubber-band would easily be placed. Thus, producing a lamb eunuch that would not consider sex and, instead, grow strong and fat for the sole purpose of becoming a meal.

These days enveloped me. Surrounded by the bellowing of youth, and a breeze that carried promise, and the unexplainable feeling of having a scared being soften to your touch.

I would leave these days. Skipping through flowering clover, lanolin gleaming off of my skin in shiny, silken brilliance, and me being too young to have experienced what dreams felt like. Knowing this felt right.