LIONS: He had a delicious laugh, bittersweet as a fine Amantillado. Anyway,

Yesterday, on the front page
of the newspaper,

there was an amazing article
about how over thirty one people

had been mauled to death
by lions–

In 1898! I am glad that they didn’t
tell my great grandfather this.

He hated lions, with a passion.

And he was alive in 1898.

He tended to be a little ornery.

He would have oiled up his Winchester
and gone out into the Savannah and

that would have been the end of that,
in terms of lions.

Think how different our lives would be
if that had been the end of that! Can you

even imagine a life without lions or books
about lions? Or my great grandfather?

What about mauling?

It’s something

I would rather not even think about.

It will make me sad if I do.

I am telling you this because I do not want
to be sad. Not at all. I want to be happy.

Damn it, I miss my Pappy.

And I have always wanted to write
the following words on a page:

“Grandfather”

“Savannah”

“Oiling up his Winchester”

Now that I have done that, presto!

Now I am happy.