it takes me back

The concrete pillbox by the raised road, where the marrauders used to pounce, on desperate caravans, was only a lingering memory in stories by the elders. the rich waters beneath The eroded iron skeleton that protrudes from the remaining structure attracted me in the early days with their soothing froth. here i took happy excursions, rising out of the ooze, to lick the rust as my friends did, for the precious metallic flavor we were so excited about. here we played at Centepedesand Skalliwags, trapped the innocent, and devoured to our hearts’ content. stay away from the orange ones, was my only admonishment, the blues and yellows are fine and nutritious.

one day a friend was bitten by a scorpion and as he lay immobilized, we tore both apart and had a grand old time.

let me not forget the Upper Reaches, where the hedgehogs fornicated, dexterously avoiding the tar. how we enjoyed in those days to taunt such cappilary suction, while shunning ourselves the abyss.

i hardened my tentacles by the cannisters, slithering. lifelong lessons, I learned while experimenting with the shardes, learning to piece together what it was that they were supposed to contain. oh, the joy of success, as i learned long words of ancient writ, piece by piece, integrating them in the aforementioned taunts.

as i grew some barbs, it became apparent, that i will continue to play with the fragile succulents at my peril. from then on , i had to eschew much of the delicacies of the sunken truck. oh, the pain i felt, knowing i will hence hold such wonders only in memory.

the asbestos slabs jutted in beautiful shapes, and in their cool shade, i played with the mullosks and amphibiants, classifying, dessicating them upon barbs and hooks, like the shrikes above us. as those birds descended on occasion, i found my first early disappointment: they could fly with such agility, but failed to do so with just a single broken wing. a warning for things to come, which i could not yet know.

the observers, and naturalists that visited , were a consolation. how they entertained me with their attempts. the abandoned equipment, soon fascinated me, and i interfaced happily. what joy it was, to read of our part of the world! i did not know of the possibilities, of how the exposure i had, was in fact just a dribble in a quagmire of offerings and temptations. my friends warned me, of my passions. we went along nostalgic soujurns, revisiting the old haunts. trying to piece together our youth, as fragments of high-grade glass .

i was reminded of my old conquests and interests. finally, by the corroded bunker, we sucked on the tainted rebar as before, smiling sadly and knowing that there is so much rusty rebar in the world, so many unexplored cannisters and shardes, so many tar-entrapped hedgehogs. i left in tears, and hardened bile. bringing the pollution and filth with me, but learning to love the foreign flavors as well.