8/14

i had been thinking about a creme pie. most of my day was watching the clouds tortured by the shape of the banana creme pie. the words plush pippin fell from the frothing teeth bare lips of vicious dogs.
as the mail found it's home from my back to your mail box i dreamt of plush pippin, of our time there amongst the idaho hills. vinyl booths and waitress' with their classy black aprons.
it's strange the things that define you. take the goose, it's majestic long neck, feather so soft body and tender waddle walk you would think a truer friend of mine there has not been made. but in reality it's the cold black eyes, the long neck not for rubbing sweetly against your let but to extend the beak for vicious attacks! why you can keep your pit bull or German Shepherd or even your fighting rooster i would much rather have the goose on my side.
as a child i saw the damage up close. it would be our family tradition, or most likely all of boise's tradition to float the snake river in rafts and inter tubes. great masses and their white Styrofoam coolers gathering near the river's edge tying themselves together. my father looking like an Italian swimmer in his short tight shorts smoking like a chimney as my mother wore the black and white one piece with shorts singing a song.
be damned the charlie horse! was our motto as we would stop at popeye's to consume chicken, mash potatoes and (god forbid it cross my lips) coleslaw.
-things i will not eat...ever
1. almond rocha
2. coleslaw
3. grey poupan
4. horseradish
5. sauerkraut
my dad didn't have a moustache but he would make his pectoral muscles dance independent of one another...but more on that another time.
it was while my brother held our attention doing something...ah maybe jumping onto the inter tube being launched sideways and landing on his feet, as he was the greatest natural athlete idaho has produced. that my sister wander dangerously close to the gang of geese huddled near the river talking union business.
she is five years older than me (though if you looked at us together you would think the opposite, i wrote so please don't punch me) and had a heart that would break for animals. our garage housed alley cats, one eyed dogs snake that had been half run over, birds with broken wings, a small shovel, dried flowers and a bunch of cigar boxes (one truly can not save them all). so as we are applauding his back flips, hand stands, karate moves and mork from ork imitation she had snuck over to give the geese some hidden away biscuits.
the goose is a cool customer, sizing up the opponent luring them in with slow waddle head bops and flapper feet flop slaps against the rock. why when they see the poor fool with their smile and tender eyes they waggle their heads together one lays down as if to say 'hey all friends here' while the others join into a sweet rendition of the geese song 'rainbows on the way'.
first there was the cheer as my brother went from mork to bruce lee to shooting three point rock skip shots into a break dance move then there was a murderous scream and the rattle of geese feet to wet stone.
the union decided and went into action. one pushed her over the others took to each quarter of her body nipping at her driving her into the water where they would have the advantage. all but one were involved as the one stood look out quacking commands quacking warnings to the encroaching male mob.
i was just four and on my way as my hero the lone ranger would have been when a booger in the left nostril side tracked me. dessert!
the geese had almost gotten her halfway into the river and would have been successful if not for a nearby eagle, we would later scream valentine towards, swooped down catching the watch geese and carrying it away, then was the parade of squirrels descending from the trees each with a healed but noticeable limp. some with one eye another with a false front tooth! what a scene now there were five geese fighting the attackers and three driving my sister towards the water. the men were almost upon them when suddenly out of the water appeared a great grey goose, Antonio! he had a metal lower bill and the foot of rubber. Antonio whom my sister had saved from the Chinese restaurant one Christmas eve. Antonio the only goose/man friendship in recorded history. he attacked with a fury, feathers flew quacks of despair echoed on the valley floor.
the water slowly began to calm, the union dispersed to a high hill on the other side of the river where my brother attacked with rocks. my father scooped my teary eyed sister and in her weak voice she said Antonio, he...
my father shushed her and performed the dancing pectoral for Antonio, the one thing that made the goose quack with glee after the Chinese ordeal. he quacked again. the crowd cheered and i made myself a seat on against a rock to enjoy my tasty booger.