4730 Hillmont

went by the old house in nutbush/berclair on christmas eve. a tradition i usually carry out with melissa but she has a family now and was with in-laws for more holiday celebration. stopped at a gas station to buy a couple sweets for mom's stocking and splurged $6 on powerball and scratch tickets. its christmas. this gas station sits directly atop the land i used to run through till i turned 13 and mom's new husband moved us to a nicer area of town. (begin nonconnah creek/ softshell turtle years).

it wasnt hard to figure things out back then, when i still knew the exact line between my world and the insanity of others. right where that gas station now sits, i could feel the presence of a box turtle a couple seconds before i walked up on it. daddy taught me this way. he grew up in these woods too. the wolf river bottoms. he took me fishing down here. during the years he was driving 18-wheelers he kept a couple bamboo poles inside the bushes in the backyard. nylon line wrapped tight around the length of hollow yellow.

our old house had the best lights on the block this christmas eve. the parked ski boat at the middle turnout/cove was gone.