Where were you?
by Bob Rauseo

   Where were you- the autumn evening when the snapping turtles rose up on their hind legs and fought each other with jaws and claws on every bend in the river;

the hot afternoon when the sticky, sweet smell of ripening Concord Grapes hung in air so heavily that it was hard to breathe;

the morning when the button bushes bloomed in a dazzling display of puffy white explosions;

the cool spring evening when the strawberry moon rose over the Billerica meadow, lighting the canoeists' path as lights flickered on in houses far away on either shore;

the summer afternoon when the blue damselflies hatched by the thousands and followed the canoes downriver;

the April sunrise when three great blue herons flew high overhead in perfect formation, heading to their favorite fishing spots;

the sunny afternoon when 15 painted turtles lined up on a log dove back into the stream with the perfect timing of a synchronized swimming team;

the June morning when one Canada Goose honked and hissed at the intruder, as another led the goslings to safety in the cattails;

the still morning when a white tailed deer fawn came crashing clumsily out of the bushes, stopped to examine the interloper with its huge ears flicking feverishly, then turned and disappeared up a narrow feeder stream;

the lazy morning when the otter popped up his head like a periscope, slowing turning to take in all there was to see, then rolling his sleek body into a graceful dive into the depths?

   Where were you then? And where are you now?

SWEAT GAZETTE
JULY 1999