Valley of Explanation
It took him two trips to set it all up.
He kept it simple, just the way he thought she'd like it.
A basket of fruit and Ritz crackers.
Ham and cheese sandwiches,
and her favorite, a giant wedge of orange chocolate.
He did splurge a bit
on the bottle of pink champagne and a spray of red roses.
He hid the question and the humble little ring
in the knot of an old birch tree...
Pleased by the way it all turned out,
he headed for the edge of the meadow.
to take a simple man's pee...
Thinking about how she'd been
a little bit off and distant lately,
Upwind and just to the side, there was a large crack of brush.
His heart nearly came off its tracks.
Grizzly quickly flashed across his mind.
He was relieved when mamma dear and her yearling
tip-doed into the sunlit clearing.
Mamma dear shyly plucked a juicy Granny Smith from the picnic basket.
The yearling preferred a clementine.
The wind suddenly shifted-they bounded off into the thicket.
With a silent thank you, lost upon the breeze.
The sun was a couple of hours past its prime.
When he finally realized she wasn't coming.
So, he drank a half bottle of pink disappointment.
Gorged on the chunk of orange chocolate.
He gathered up the broken picnic for one.
He left the rest of the fruit and spray of roses
to the skinny doe and her yearling.
He grabbed back the ring
from the heart of the old birch tree.
He crashed down the mountain, with champagne mouth,
Heading for the valley of explanation.
The best friend held her tight, dried her tears
but after a six-pack and some cheap weed.
They both had a big belly laugh
when he told her that the
"Cheap Teenie weenie grease monkey ring",
was probably forever lost
in the butt of that old birch tree.
Within a season she left both grease monkeys
and their Teenie weenie rings-
She headed down the mountain for glitter town
married a man with a big sharp house
clean hands and a big city ring-
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