# Mr. Lizard



## Kevin (Mar 17, 2015)

There was a lizard on the porch today, when I came home. He startled when I came near. He was on the chair cushion, actually. No mind. A sign that winter has broken, the heat has come. 

We only have two seasons really, the growing, and the dying. Winter is the growing. And then there is the other season, the dry, with its variation of long, hot days at its start and middle, to its shorter, darker but still hot. It’s a matter of water, and timing. In the winter the water comes. Everything grows. And then it stops, the rain that is, and things start to die, even as they flower.

That lizard had spent the winter hidden somewhere; possibly beneath that same chair’s cushion even. They crave the sun, the heat of sunlight, and hide in dark. During the winters they disappear, months on end, (occasionally reappearing during a false summer) .

He panicked, and startled jumping from one chair to the next. I wanted him not to, run away from me, that is. _Hey, Mister Lizard_, I thought, said out loud possibly, realizing how ridiculous, _you don’t need to run from me_. Lizards of that type make no noises to each other, or anything else for that matter (incapable of even the squawk of a startled toad) Surely, any attempts at soothing noises I might make, if he could even feel the vibrations, would be both unintelligible, and only serve to reinforce his urge to flee. 

He stopped on the other chair's back cushion, and I went inside the door. Going back out to get something from the car I saw him flattened, sunbathing against the rust-colored cushion. He did not move when  I passed back by to go inside. 

The grass in the fields is long and going to seed. Already, though the rain feels barely over, the color has gone from a solid green to a lighter green at the tips. The succession of perennials, blue dicks, mustard, Indian Paint brush, is playing out. The blue dicks, first to come, are going to translucent, colorless, paper, and the mustard is shedding yellow, re-flowering (and growing seed pods) while the leaves are toughening and soon will wrinkle before shedding. Then only the stalks will be there, growing layer after layer of new flowering long after any sign of moisture has gone. Sunflowers are in full bloom, and red and orange Monkey flowers are starting to open. The scent of sage is everywhere; black, white, purple.

Mr. Lizard will soon (in between otherwise, constant sunbathing) be sparing and doing pushups with the other boys, men, fighting over territory, and females. The life of the Blue-belly reminds me of something like that of a lifeguard, sun-baked and chest puffed, not a care except posing on his promontory.


----------



## InstituteMan (Mar 17, 2015)

I enjoyed the simple imagery of this one, which evokes a powerful sense of both the passage of time and the permanence of the Earth. A lizard makes a good entry-point to the meditation. 

I was a little confused by the duplicative text, but I suspect that's a pasting problem.

This was thoughtful and fun.


----------



## Kevin (Mar 17, 2015)

Thanks I-man. He's out there right now, probably under the cushion as the sun is going down.


----------



## InstituteMan (Mar 17, 2015)

Kevin said:


> Thanks I-man. He's out there right now, probably under the cushion as the sun is going down.



Ah, the life of a lizard! It does make you think. We're not all that important to them.


----------



## LeeC (Mar 17, 2015)

Simple, evocative, the cycles of life unadorned, and a bit of analogy to our subjective selves. My kind of reading. Well done.


The only thing I noticed is of little consequence.


> and only serve reinforce his urge to flee.


 Easily understandable, but I might have dropped the "serve" or added "to" after it.


----------



## ppsage (Mar 18, 2015)

Hi Kevin... I love when you write these. Wouldn't mind seeing what might happen if this one dropped the informality and semi-apology; if it got kind of definite and mythic. In appreciation, pp.


----------



## Kevin (Mar 19, 2015)

Institute- they inhabit my yard. Rather standoffish, but I like.
Lee- thank you. I wrote and posted quicker than my usual, had lots of trouble getting it to accept, and didn't proof well. No excuse.
ppsage- always appreciate your comments. 'Mythic'... hmm, interesting. A touch of supernatural, the un-provable, unscientific. But will they believe it?


----------



## escorial (Mar 21, 2015)

the lizard king lives


----------



## Warm Hands Cold Heart (Apr 2, 2015)

This is a really interesting piece. I liked how I could relate to the experience of seeing a wild animal close to my house and the common feelings everyone has during that experience. I live in the forest and often see deer outside my house early in the morning or around dusk. Seeing animals like that is weird because it is such a clash of your world and their world that it really makes you experience that moment. I have a lot of the same thoughts that you articulate. I guess what I am saying is that I like your piece because is is easy to relate to. It is an experience that no matter where you are from you can understand. I would love to see it develop into something longer, or maybe you could write about more nature/animal experiences.


----------



## Elvenswordsman (Apr 2, 2015)

Your brain is an interesting thing; I loved the exposition, thanks for sharing!


----------



## masontrc (Apr 6, 2015)

I love your ability to create action with only a few words. You are able to move from one image to the next with very little description required. This minimalism is the hallmark of a good writer. With that being said, I think your writing could benefit from some brief description of the lizard itself look wise. You can accomplish this in a few words I imagine.


----------

