onto the patio, the
expanse of concrete that
led to the pool, fenced
away from the ravine.
Father had a dislocated
shoulder, his arm was
in a sling. He had
a friend’s shotgun, some
sort of instrument
and he looked out
the window, sister and I
behind him, looking
over his shoulder.
And then he saw a small
squirrel, walking
along the edge of the
patio, and father opened the
sliding glass doors
propped his gun
over his dislocated shoulder,
tried to look
through the sight and
keep the gun balanced. He
usually didn’t use
guns, he seldom
borrowed them. And here he
stood, in his own
house, aiming at the
animal at the edge of our
property, with one
good arm. And then
he shot. We all looked; the
animal, hit, stumbled
into a nearby hole.
He hit the animal, despite all
his trouble, all his pain.
People wonder why
he shot the animal. I wonder
how. Could I do it, even
with two good arms.
Could I see through the sight,
could I aim well, strike.
Scars Publications and Design
in conjunction with Penny Dreadful Press
first edition
copyright @ 2004 Scars Publications and Design
827 Brian Court, Gurnee IL 60031-3155 USA
Editor@scars.tv
http://scars.tv
and assistance from Freedom & Strength Foundation, Troy Press, Hawthorne Press & Dried Roses Press
printed in the United States of America
writings @ 1979-2004 Janet Kuypers
book design @ 1998-2004 Scars Publications and DesignThis book, as a whole, is fiction, and no correlation should be made between events in the book and events in real life. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher.Information about past books is available upon request through Scars Publications and Design. Materials from the literary magazines “Children, Churches and Daddies” and “Down in the Dirt” are available on line at http://scars.tv, as are .mp3 files, .ra files, .aif files, .au files, .wav files .mov and mpeg files of Kuypers, both reading her work and singing with three sets of musicians.Oeuvre is published through Scars Publications and Design, whose publisher is a member/minister through the Universal Life Church. Scars Publications and Design, the logo and associated graphics @ 1979 - 2004. All rights reserved. Kuypers and Scars Publications and Design welcome your comments, tips, compliments or complaints. Direct all comments and suggestions to the e-mail addresses listed above.The definition of oeuvre (the works of a writer, painter, or the like, taken as a whole) is from the Websters Unabridged 2001 Dictionary.