It All Adds up to This

boneI found this bone in the woods.  Twelve inches of leg, detached.  Where is the hunter, the fox, the turkey vulture? All have picked the best pieces; the smaller beasts have rendered it back to the earth. I am one last witness.

24 Comments It All Adds up to This

  1. glasgowdragonfly July 7, 2014 at 8:22 am

    Ashes to ashes, dust to dust vs what is the meaning of life. Good job – got me thinking!

    Reply
    1. Meg July 7, 2014 at 9:45 pm

      You got it. We live and then we leave behind bones. Kinda gloomy but I spied this bone yesterday while I was hiking and wanted to write something about it. Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
  2. Jennifer G. Knoblock July 7, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    This got me thinking, too…what about all the things that we could or should notice/witness, but we just walk by, oblivious? I love the sense of reverence and being in the moment that you’ve created.

    Reply
    1. Meg July 7, 2014 at 9:46 pm

      Thank you, Jennifer. I have a mantra: pay attention. It’s so hard to do sometimes. Your comment is especially meaningful to me. Really appreciate it.

      Reply
  3. KymmInBarcelona July 7, 2014 at 6:12 pm

    ‘one last witness’ – love the way that resonates. < 3

    Reply
    1. Meg July 7, 2014 at 9:47 pm

      Thanks, Kymm!

      Reply
  4. Jen July 7, 2014 at 7:44 pm

    A few great mysterious all rolled into one it seems. I wonder what that was?

    Reply
    1. Meg July 7, 2014 at 9:51 pm

      I’m not sure what it was. I suspect a deer bone. Several times after I walked by and photographed it, I was tempted to walk back and pick it up…you know, wondering if it was human. But I decided to leave it alone. I hope my writing wasn’t too obscure! I’m doing all this writing for work and think it has a negative effect on my creative stuff. Sigh.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Reply
      1. Jen July 7, 2014 at 10:54 pm

        Nope nope no doubting aloud. You are doing great!!

        Reply
  5. C.C. July 8, 2014 at 12:08 am

    What a poignant last line!

    Reply
    1. Meg July 8, 2014 at 8:30 am

      Thanks, C.C.! Appreciate the read.

      Reply
  6. jetgirlcos July 8, 2014 at 1:16 am

    I have to agree with your other commenters and say that I love that last line. It sounds like the the title of a book that I’d be interested to read…

    Reply
    1. Meg July 8, 2014 at 8:31 am

      Thank you! I really enjoyed your Gargleblaster, as always.

      Reply
  7. soumyaa July 8, 2014 at 4:49 am

    A deer bone, eh? I wonder what must have happened really. Who knows what life would bring you to, next! There are so many things you must have been the last, or the first witness to. We’ll never know!

    Reply
    1. Meg July 8, 2014 at 8:35 am

      Thanks for reading and commenting, sweet Soumyaa! I know, you never know what you’ll stumble across next. The bone looked too long to be anything but a deer and I peered around to see if there was anything else, but nope. It was just sitting there at the side of the trail by its lonesome. I often think about things witnessed throughout time. I try to imagine what the trails here would have looked like to the Shawnee and Mingo tribes who hunted here 200+ years ago. It’s fascinating to me.

      Reply
  8. Shailaja/ The Moving Quill July 8, 2014 at 8:07 am

    And, in the end, that’s all that is left of any of us.. So, it doesn’t add up to much, right? Wow. I am still taking in the impact of your words. Wonderful!

    Reply
    1. Meg July 8, 2014 at 8:41 am

      Yep. That’s what I was thinking regarding the prompt: it all adds up to this ephemeral bone, metaphorically. But think about it this way too: what we leave behind, in memory anyway, is lasting. Especially those of us who are lucky to write it all down. Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Shailaja. I really appreciate it.

      Reply
  9. inNateJames July 8, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    This one feels like a departure for you, Meg. More philosophical, I think, but full of vivid description just the same. I like the idea of encountering a mystery in the woods.

    Reply
    1. Meg July 8, 2014 at 6:10 pm

      Yeah, it is really different and I can’t quite put my finger on why or how. It feels a bit disconnected. Thanks for reading and your insightful comment, as always, Nate.

      Reply
  10. Michael July 8, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    Life has many mysteries, many mysteries indeed… I suppose we’ll never know what does the fox say. Or the vulture either. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Meg July 8, 2014 at 7:05 pm

      LOL. I seriously LOL’d. Thanks. I needed that.

      Reply
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