Hi all,
My elderly father has experienced a surprise in his life recently.  He
has discovered that he can write poetry.  Ah, but before I go on, let
me give you all a little background ...
 
He has been through a world of things from WWII to 911.  During one very
brief time in his life, he had the pleasure of living with my first pet
ferret.  Back then, my father worked night and day and devoted many hours
to his community in addition.  When he was home each evening, I was
instructed to keep the noise down to a minimum and let him catch his
before dinner nap in his lazy boy with his newspaper laid on his lap.
I don't think he much understood my mothers obsession with animals
although he did enjoy life on the farm.
 
Back then (a life time ago), a ferret was pretty extreme and exotic.  He
saw her very little, but he often did muse at her play.  My funny ferret,
Baby, could be found at the foot of a chair while my poor father shrieked
for my mother and I.  We'd find him with his feet high in the air as he
would try to escape her snapping teeth at his toes.  He never understood
that an older man jumping around and yelling served to be Baby's best
and favorite toy in life.
 
Don't tell him, but a certain mischievous young girl, often let her
critter out on the sly while he was home just to see the commotion.  My
second favorite time to let her out, besides during his doze, was while
he showed after work.  I'd wait to hear the water turn on upstairs.  Then
creep past my mother enjoying a cigarette and martini (or manhattan,
choose your poison) while she cooked in the kitchen.  Open up her cage,
and slip downstairs again.  Innocently, I'd sit down to watch Gilligan's
island to see what Gilligan was doing to the poor Captain.  And I'd wait.
I'd wait to hear my father scream out, "Juuuuuuune" (my mother), wet,
naked, and vulnerable.  It was the only time I ever got to see my father
vulnerable ... until very recently.  I'd fake being so immersed in my
show that I didn't hear his screams, nor hear our Amazon parrot mimic
his cries right back at him through the house as he madly flapped.  My
mothers shrill voice (ouch) would eventually answer back, "What".  By
now, this all would drown out what the professor and Marianne were
saying.  But that was the goal, you see.  My irritated mother would
screech back at him to not jump or yell.  And he did just exactly that
while he argued with her.  Eventually, she'd put her martini down, leave
the dinner on the stove and look at me while she stormed past.  I'd open
my eyes up as wide and innocent as they could possibly go, look startled,
puzzled, and shrug while I said, "what's the matter?".  Up the stairs
she'd go, and I'd hear the bickering dwindle as she arrived on the scene
to rescue him.  "I don't know how she got out ... I must have forgot to
put her up, Mommy." I must tell you that there is a huge advantage being
the fourth child, and coming late into a mother and father's life so
wanted.  When parents have two children they tend to be more patient than
with one.  Three children, even more patient.  Four and upwards ... darn
right exhausted.  The argument would continue later at the dinner table
between my parents about if the ferret actually hurts when she bites her
toes.  My eyes would dart back and forth between them as I sucked up my
spaghetti noodles.
 
Poor baby escaped out a door while a babysitting sister came in one day.
She was never to be found and my kind mother used to tell her little girl
stories about how she lived under the deck and was eating yummy mice
enjoying her freedom.
 
Like I said, that was a lifetime ago, and very distant in an old man's
memory.  My father has unfortunately had to think about life and death
lately as my mother has cancer and he has suffered through heart surgery
recently.  All those feelings born from all of those life experiences
seem to now be pouring out onto paper.  One of those memories is depicted
below:
 
FERRETS
Ferrets are strange little creatures
with cute little faces and funny features.
Ferrets like to hide and play
Ferrets usually are tired by the end of the day.
Ferrets like to jump around and play with your feet.
Kids think that this is really neat.
Ferrets are very intelligent
so you have to be very diligent.
Ferrets like to play on the floor
they are very clever, be careful not to open the door.
Ferrets are not excepted by everyone.
They just don't know how they  are so full of fun.
Some day Ferrets will be excepted.
That's the most that can be expected.
Robert Bende'
[Posted in FML issue 5207]