Smokey’s Definition of Gathering
I have apparently misunderstood gathering.
All week I have been gathering tomatoes, beans, herbs, seeds, and various thoughts about the changing light.
Smokey has been gathering:
one kitchen chair,
two blankets,
the patch of afternoon sun beside the window,
and, somehow, my cardigan.
According to Smokey, gathering means identifying everything comfortable within a twenty-foot radius and making it legally yours.
He considers harvest season a success.
I asked whether he intended to gather anything useful.
He closed his eyes.
This concluded the interview.
