Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023 - 81
SINGING IN THE GARDEN
This was Luke's own form of Bath
& Body Works bliss. He chased
down the gore and wriggled
ecstatically on his back in the
macerated mess.
If, by chance, I discovered
a rotting body and removed
it, Luke brought it back and
buried it in the flower beds for
further aging. One year, I was
planting some hostas when I noticed
a small mound of mulch in
the back of the bed.
I reached out
with my ungloved hand to smooth it
down and raked my fingers through a wellaged
corpse. Luke seemed puzzled by my strong reaction
to his gift. The smell lingered on my hands for
several days.
Luke has been gone for about three months. He is
buried under the old apple tree on the hill. He died in a
freak accident. A tiny part of my heart went with him.
As I work in my lawn and gardens, the hole left by his
exuberant collecting is particularly visible. Or maybe I
should say the lack of holes.
The lawn is smooth. The bones are
all outside the fence in the woods
and pastures where they belong.
The vultures are now enjoying
their rightful share of any dead
animals. And, my hands don't
smell like ripened death. Funny
how the things that drove you
crazy can be some of the things
you laugh about the most when
you remember a good dog.
I have another beagle. His name
is Rex. He is a good dog, too, but he is
nose-driven and spends most of his days,
and some of his nights, baying after invisible
rabbits. He is sweet and gentle and loves a good belly
rub, but I am a momentary distraction for him, not the
focus of his being.
As I mow, I spot the ghost of Luke under the forsythia
bush grinning with anticipation. Thankfully, there are
no grisly bits in the last of his leftover piles but, if there
were, I think the smell would make me smile because it
would mean he was still here, putting his own unique
touch on my yard. Good-bye, old friend. I miss you.
MAY/JUNE 2023 81
https://www.co.pickens.sc.us/
Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023
Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023 - Cover1
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