Crouched Like An Animal in the Forest by Ronald A PavellasIt started like this... Camped out, tent, State Park, Near where the Big Sur River Empties into the Pacific.
Zonked by 8PM, Wide awake at 2AM. No flashlight! (Too much in a rush, Pav).
Maybe that Inn & Restaurant Two, three miles down Highway 1 Has coffee, maybe open early. Think I'll hike on down there.
Moon somewhere between Full and half, good light. But path back to Park entrance Has dark, woody parts.
This is where the realization began...
I am now like any other animal In this forest, Path-cut by man, Ruled by the Redwoods.
What are my animal skills? Listening, remembering, Sniffing the air, watching dim patterns, Feeling the path like a blind man.
I feel naked...
It is not fear, entirely; If I were a raccoon or polecat, My fur would be extended To its furthest reach.
It is full-alertness; It is REALITY!
The moon reflects well From the white stripe Guiding me down the right side Of the almost invisible asphalt.
Unknown things now rule: Unknown distance. Unknown hazards. Unknown animals.
The signs in camp said: Watch out for Mountain lions, bobcats, Deer and coyote.
I can see the highway For the first mile or so, But then high redwoods Block the moon's light.
And now, the whining, Growing roar of Tires on Asphalt Grind inexorably toward me.
I don't want to be seen By these machine men! They may be dangerous; They may be careless.
I hide my glasses, Cover my bare skin, And crouch close to the ground In the forest bordering the asphalt.
And THEY scream past me, Unseeing, Not sensing, This animal in the forest.
------------------- State Highway 1 Big Sur, California
05/17/1997 Posted on 01/03/2002 Copyright © 2025 Ronald A Pavellas
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