Oh, I Don’t Know, Maybe He Entered Grandmother’s Cottage Because
Leave a commentApril 2, 2023 by The Citron Review
by Kim Steutermann Rogers
1. They bulldozed his home, taking old-growth trees that sheltered him while he slept.
2. They gassed his siblings in their den, a memory he carries like an open wound.
3. They said they couldn’t have him prowling backyards where children play.
4. He lost his lower leg to a wire snare, meant for a coyote.
5. His mate needed a safe place to birth her babies.
6. His mate got hit by a semi-tractor trailer on I-90.
7. There was a bounty on his hide.
8. They shot his father.
9. He was a trophy.
10. He was lonely.
Kim Steutermann Rogers was awarded a fellowship at Storyknife Writers Retreat in 2016 and, again, in 2021. Her essay, “Following the Albatross Home” was recognized as “Notable Travel Writing 2019” in Best American Travel Writing. Her science journalism has been published in National Geographic, Audubon, and Smithsonian; and her prose in Atticus Review, CHEAP POP, Reckon Review, and elsewhere. She lives with her husband and poi dog in Hawaii. Find her at kimsrogers.com and @kimsrogers.
The Citron Review 