I would make friends with a skunk if it wouldn’t spray me first! That would take a leap of faith on both sides. Trust. Understandable — trust issues. Skunk and me.
This little poe-umm, Skunk Trust, made me laugh writing it. Why did I write this little poe-umm—well, let me tell you. Skunks are sweet little creatures in spite of their stinky reputation, “I’m only smelly when I’m scared” is very true. Of course, if a doggy runs off to pounce on the “kitty” in the dark, that doggy is going to get sprayed, even if he is the “best of good boys” kind of dog and only wants to play—skunk doesn’t know that.
I fondly call skunks “black and white waddle bugs.” I have gotten used to them being around and have nodding acquaintances with them. I’m always amazed by their variety of markings, some are very grand and fluffy, mostly white on top, which thankfully makes them easy to see in the dark! The skunks love the kitty kibble I leave out for the feral cats that hang around our house and barn—who am I to argue with them? Our long-time “resident” feral girl-kitty, Harper Lee, will lounge around on the porch sofa while the skunk gets a snack. She doesn’t appear to mind; it seems they share a mutual respect. Of course, I always take care when I’m around them I give them their space. It’s about respecting boundaries—everybody has them. Trust is another thing. I’ve had the little foot stomps warning me off if I’m too close, I tell them, “Hey there, Stinky, you have the power, I have no quarrel with you.”
Trust is earned—I’ve been burned enough in my lifetime to have learned the hard way not to trust just anyone. You know, the ones who pretend to be your friend, you’ve known them for a long time, and they claim they’ve got your back, but instead, they put the knife in your back as they kick you under the bus to save themselves—it stinks but happens to the best of us.
(Per X-Files, Trust no one. It is worthy advice.)
So—the skunk—do you trust that skunk not to spray you? Does the skunk trust you not to hurt it? Trust is earned. I give them their space (and the kitty kibbles)—they don’t spray me.
For context, regarding the image, because I’m a visual artist, I scribbled a little sketch on the back of an envelope of a skunk impression since I couldn’t find a photograph in my thousands of photographs, which I know that I have photos of a skunk or two (I’ve met a few in my time.) This little poe-umm is part of a manuscript of poe-umms that I’ve put together for a “someday” publication, the title is How Do You Turn on This Spaceship? Being a hands-on, creative artist, I’ve been having fun making this visual document of my poe-umms, hand-tinted pages with text and illustrations—it’s been a fun project to play around with for myself. While I’m creating these pages, I’m working out the bugs of the poe-umm text, it’s become an editorial process. Also, when I do eventually publish this book of poe-umms, I would like to include the stories behind each one. I want my writing to be approachable—the stories should (hopefully) dispel any mystery regarding “Why did you write this?” “What for?” “How come?” There is no mystery, I want my poe-umms to be understood. It’s a creative journey I enjoy very much, and for me, as an artist, it’s all about the process of making something, written or visual. Simply, I like to get my hands dirty making things!
FYI…I’m posting on Substack now (this post included, which has a bonus short audio of me reading the poem) and I would be grateful for any support even if you sign up for free, it’s still support, I’ll be happy and honored to have you visit! I will be posting free and paid posts, so stay tuned!
Laura J. W. Ryan 