I was lying in bed, reading, just a few moments ago, when I heard a weird noise outside, a kind of deep clicking hiccup. I laid down the book and listened. A minute or so later I heard the unmistakable call of a Great Horned Owl, louder than I'd ever heard it before. Which, of course, meant that this owl was closer than I'd ever been before. I concluded that the owl must have been perched in one of the pine trees that serve as a wind break to the north of my bedroom.

I rose slowly and walked to the window, which I lowered as noiselessly as possible. There was silence and then the owl called again, startling me it was so loud, as if it were in the room there with me. I stood for a few minutes with my eyes closed, listening to its calls and to two other owls replying across variable distances.

But hearing was not enough: I had to see the thing. I snatched the flashlight by my bed and crept out the front door, kicking the dogs back inside. First I inched to the edge of the porch, listening to see if the owl was still there. Soon it called again, such a deep sound that it gave me goosebumps. I actually felt a little afraid to get closer, so I shined the light up into the pine tree from which the sound had issued. I saw nothing. I turned the light off and the owl called again.

I stepped off the porch, barefoot, into the wet grass, stepping slowly, tip-toeing really, ready at each step to hear the owl wing off across the field to the north. When I was almost directly under the tree, the great bird took flight, not to the north but to the south, flying directly over me, its barred wings wider than any bird should be, its white underbelly as pale as the moon, the sound it made no more than a whisper, someone blowing out his breath in a private sigh.

Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:[R]eady at each step to hear the owl wing off across the field to the north. ... [T]he sound it made no more than a whisper, someone blowing out his breath in a private sigh.

I was going to say...

You don't really hear great horned owls fly. Rather, you hear the sound of the cat screaming as it's being carried off by the owl.

Such a beautiful bird. Nice story.

Brett, do you have your poetry collected in at least one volume? Because after that, I'd really like to read more.

Brett Eugene Ralph wrote: A minute or so later I heard the unmistakable call of a Great Horned Owl, louder than I'd ever heard it before.

Boy do I have a thread for you!

I started training for a new position with the customer service company: same job, new environment. I shared before that one of our clients is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. One of our other clients is a ticket agency that is handling an exhibit at the Franklin Institue called Body Worlds. It takes 1.5 to 2 hours so see what some crazy guy did to cadavers exposing muscle groups and the like. This is the last weekend to see the exhibit in the tri state area. They offered overtime to take orders for this show. We help sell 2500 tickets at approx 18 $ apiece and then they release more tickets. the phones are ringing off the hook.

Sunday is over time as well. I love working on Sundays. I also found out to day that Wrestlemania at the Dodge Arena is soldout. I did not know that.

edit: forgot an "a" &clarity

I have also been reading some Carver. I even more confused after I read a short five minute story.

Maurice wrote:Brett, do you have your poetry collected in at least one volume? Because after that, I'd really like to read more.

Sadly, no, but I'm working on it.

Both of my chapbooks are long out of print, but I have poems forthcoming in both Harpur Palate and the inaugural poetry issue of McSweeney's.

I've been working on a couple term papers for my course work--all of which are due this week. I just opened my door to go to the bakery to get some breakfast and nearly stepped on a small bouquet of beautiful maroon daisies and a gigantic pineapple.

My girlfriend rocks.

I tried to pester my girlfriend into staying in bed for ten minutes later than normal this morning but she had some strange idea about getting to work on time. I get up, shower, dress and run to the train...

The train is ten minutes late.

I recently found out that I will be supporting Jill Sobule, Martha Wash, Bow Wow Wow, and Berlin at Milwaukee Pride in June. I'm already a has-been and I've never even been there. Fabulous!