Page 36 - Oasis in the Sky

No Shadow of Darkness

We were dove hunting. I followed
my father through the scrub
mesquite of the once lush valley.
I was too young to hunt but quite
useful at collecting downed birds.

In a flash, I remembered the trail,
the brush and rocks, and the impending
fear of danger. I frantically tried to remember more...

On the trail, two paces ahead, I remembered
the coiled rattlesnake arching back,
propelling itself forward to strike.

I remembered—I had seen this before,
been here before—and already I was
jumping to the side, calling to my father
as the snake missed, elongating itself on the path.
My father spun and shot it as if he had
known where the snake was all along.

I had seen it all before.
This was just a slow motion replay of
what I remembered.
It was somehow a memory of the past,
but in this present moment,
it was the reality of the here and now.

This would not be the only prescient
moment of my life; there would be
many such moments; each potentially lethal.

Climbing the cliffs above my home,
I remembered to duck as a boulder
tumbled past my head.

Driving into an intersection,
I remembered to brake and swerved as a
produce truck ran the traffic light. The list goes on...

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Oasis in the Sky
Oasis in the Sky