{"id":24389,"date":"2025-06-29T11:39:24","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T11:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/24389\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T11:39:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T11:39:24","slug":"prairie-oasis-bends-an-ear-to-creatures-lives-and-conversations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/24389\/","title":{"rendered":"“Prairie Oasis” bends an ear to creatures’ lives and conversations"},"content":{"rendered":"

This book is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award for Anthology.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prairie Oasis:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seven Lives in Joes, Colorado\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Author\u2019s note: In July of 2023, I had the privilege of spending a week in Joes as a writer-in-residence,\u00a0 sponsored by Prairie Futures and The Colorado Sun. I grew up in western Kansas and had\u00a0 been through Joes many times to visit relatives in Denver, and later as a Coloradan going the\u00a0 opposite direction to visit my family. I had no idea what gems were hidden just out of sight\u00a0 from the highway.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

UNDERWRITTEN BY<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Each week, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Humanities & Center For The Book feature an excerpt from a Colorado book and an interview with the author. Explore the SunLit archives at\u00a0coloradosun.com\/sunlit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During my time at the Alma Creative Residence, I read books, took walks, met people from\u00a0 the community, and taught a creative writing workshop. All the while, I was surrounded by\u00a0 beauty: works of art, wildflower gardens, epic thunderstorms, and magnificent sunsets. Joes\u00a0\u00a0was a creative sanctuary for me, and that got me thinking about the other creatures who\u00a0 make a home there, whether for a day or a night or an entire life. This piece imagines a peek\u00a0 into the heads of seven nonhuman residents I encountered, or might have if I had stayed just\u00a0 a little longer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

1\/ Male redwing blackbird trills from a juniper tree at dawn:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ahem. Mee, mee, mee, do-re-mi, ahem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

JOYFUL, JOYFUL, WE ADORE THEE\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kidding! We feathered kin have no need to borrow from human hymns, which are in\u00a0 fact crude plagiarisms of our own much longer-standing musical traditions. Now\u00a0 then:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Greunnk greeleeleeeunnnk\u00a0<\/p>\n

Click, cheep, chickareeeee\u00a0<\/p>\n

Greunnk konkareeeee\u00a0<\/p>\n

Click, cheep, chickareeeeeee!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

2\/ Monarch butterfly lands on a milkweed in the Prairie Gardens:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Glory be! A jungle of life-giving Motherplants. Wait till I tell the gals in\u00a0 Michoac\u00e1n*\u2014found our springtime nursery! Even I was beginning to doubt myself.\u00a0 All those miles of dust and tumbleweeds\u2026this infernal drought. Thought I\u2019d never\u00a0 make it. But finally, sustenance! Sunflowers, goldenrod, prairie coneflowers, and\u2026be\u00a0 still my antennae. Is that a California poppy? Sweet nectar of the gods! Just a sip\u2014 just one sip!\u2014and I\u2019ll be on my way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pardon? Of course, I can still fly straight. After all I\u2019ve been through, you judge?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Alma Journal\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

>> READ AN INTERVIEW WITH The contributor<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Where to find it<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

SunLit<\/strong> present new excerpts from some of the best Colorado authors that not only spin engaging narratives but also illuminate who we are as a community. Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n

Oh, swirling kaleidoscopic rainbows! A thousand shimmering sunrises! Up, up, and\u00a0 away, I go. To infinity, and\u2026!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Which way is south? I\u2019ll follow the rainbow. Here I come, my flock! You thought I\u00a0 was lost. Never! Only 3,672,417 wingflaps to go.\u00a0<\/p>\n

* Monarch butterfly caterpillars have just one food source: the milkweed plant. In the fall, adult monarchs migrate\u00a0 to central Mexico, where they overwinter before returning north to lay their eggs in the spring.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

3\/ Three horses whip flies with their tails in a pasture in the hot afternoon sun. The littlest\u00a0 one, an aging Shetland pony:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

And as I was saying, where is that blasted woman with the bag of carrots? The one\u00a0 who parks her rusting truck and limps across the road. We\u2019ve been neglected for days. Where is she, Mabel, with my carrots?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Yes, dear, sorry dear. Absolutely. I couldn\u2019t agree more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t survive another abandonment, Mabel. Remember the little girl? With the\u00a0 midnight eyes and the silken fingers she would run along my nose. Light as a feather,\u00a0 she was, when she climbed on my back. Where did she go? Why would she leave me?\u00a0 Mabel, are you listening?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Yes, dear, sorry, dear. Very oppressive, indeed. And yet this, too, shall pass,\u00a0 will it not? All in good time, Henry, and so on and so forth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Listen to you, Mabel. Going on and on as if you even heard what I said. You never,\u00a0 ever listen. Then you say you\u2019re sorry but you\u2019re not. You\u2019re not sorry at all. Isn\u2019t that\u00a0 right, Jasper?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

~Now, Henry, you know quite well I don\u2019t take sides. That I find you both\u00a0 quite right generally. We\u2019re in this together, after all\u2026in this confined space\u00a0 together\u2026always together, day after day, year after year, decade after\u2026Ouch!\u00a0 What have I said about the nipping, Henry?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The little girl used to call me gallant. Gallant, Jasper! But of course, you wouldn\u2019t\u00a0 know gallant if it slapped you on the rump.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

4\/ Sunflower, growing from a fissure in the cement, leans out from the shade of the post\u00a0 office in late afternoon:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mighty Sun-god, supreme giver of life, I praise you!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But might you, just this once, perhaps this very evening, give over your place in the\u00a0 sky to the jealous thunder-gods? Those wrathful beings with their flashing eyes and\u00a0 terrible, growling bellies. Their power pales before your steady, beneficent smile. And\u00a0 yet, to have just one small drink. One small drink to lift these withered leaves to the\u00a0 heavens, that I may exalt you once more!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Please? Amen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n

5\/ Bat flies over Joes at dusk, bound for his favorite hunting ground\u2014the flashy digital\u00a0 billboard in front of the Plains Telephone Company:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, joy! What bounty awaits me tonight\u2026Mosquitoes? Without a doubt. But so much work to eat enough of them. Lacewings! Scrumptious, delicate creatures. Rain\u00a0 beetles. Big, fat, oh-so-ripe June bugs\u2014a must. There\u2019s one now. Crunchy on the\u00a0 outside, gooey center. De-mmph-mmph-licious.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa7 Listen here!<\/p>\n

Go deeper into this story in this episode of The Daily Sun-Up podcast. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Subscribe: <\/strong>Apple<\/a> | Spotify<\/a> | RSS<\/a><\/p>\n

Ah, but still I wait, for the holy grail of hunts. The feast of feasts. That winged\u00a0 behemoth of the night: the famed Hyalophora cecropia*. Oh, blessed night, when I\u00a0 finally encounter one. My equal in size, grace, and nimbleness. In stunning combat\u00a0 we\u2019ll swirl and spiral, up, up, until our wings graze heaven. We\u2019ll hang for a moment\u00a0 against the stars, quaking. Then down, down, down in a tangle we plummet. A final\u00a0 glorious tailspin. Who wins? I cannot say. But what a marvelous way to go!\u00a0<\/p>\n

* The cecropia moth is the largest native moth in North America, with a wingspan of up to seven inches. Have you\u00a0 been lucky enough to spot one of these red, white, and brown beauties?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

6\/ Coyote trots down a gravel road on the edge of town at dusk:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vigilant, vigilant. Danger here, danger there, anywhere, everywhere. Firesticks,\u00a0 poison, jagged metal jaws, lights that blind and freeze you in place. bang! snap!\u00a0 roooaar! Lose a paw, lose an eye, lose a tail, lose your life. But not me, o-ho, not me!\u00a0 Not today, not tomorrow. I am the clever one, the trickster, the dancing, dodging,\u00a0 disappearing shadow. The one who survives. Danger, danger, everywhere, anywhere.\u00a0 Ah, but the feast is worth it. Fat little hens on their roost, fast asleep and dreaming.\u00a0 So easy to slip under the fence. Easy to nudge open the flimsy door. Easy to reach up\u00a0 so very quietly and take my pick. Easy as\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boom. What was that? Footsteps. One human male barks something to another.\u00a0 Scuffle, crunch, closer, closer\u2026Run. RUN!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

7\/ Young raccoon leans from behind a rubber trash can, keeping watch. She turns to her\u00a0 two masked companions, one balanced atop the other:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Careful, numbskulls! You almost tipped it over.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Eeeeasy, sis. You worry too much. Have you ever seen us mess this up?\u00a0 Wait, don\u2019t answer that, lol.\u00a0<\/p>\n

~LOLOL. She has a point, bro. But seriously, we got this. Just a little\u00a0 higher and I can reach. Oooh, I smell pizza. Pepperoni and anchovies.\u00a0 Dash of tabasco, if I had to guess. Jackpot!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Ow! Watch it, that was my eye.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hurry up, you two. You\u2019ll wake that fool of a blue heeler. Like last time?\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\u2014You promised to stop bringing that up. Totally not our fault.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Circumstances. Dumb luck.\u00a0<\/p>\n

~Could\u2019ve happened to anyone!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sssshhhhht. Guys, what was that noise? Holy bullfrogs, there goes Coyote! I don\u2019t\u00a0 think he saw us. But whatever scared him is right behind\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014CRASH\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now you\u2019ve done it! Let\u2019s get out of here. Moooooooove!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For Fun:\u00a0<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re outside on a lunch break or an evening walk, what animals and plants do you\u00a0 come across? What can you imagine about their world and their ways? As you walk, maybe\u00a0 your dog stirs up a pheasant from the ditch\u2014what are the two of them thinking in that\u00a0moment of encounter? What might they say? A moment later, adrenaline floods your body\u00a0 as you nearly step on a bull snake crossing your path. But which of you is the most startled?\u00a0What is the experience like from the snake\u2019s point of view? What is the red-tailed hawk\u00a0 thinking as she whirls in lazy circles far above you? What are the words to the meadowlark\u2019s\u00a0 song?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Write a scene or story, or simply use this prompt to daydream. Let your imagination roam.<\/p>\n

Anita Mumm<\/p>\n

Anita Mumm<\/strong> is a writer and developmental editor based in central Colorado. She also teaches English and creative writing to incarcerated writers as an adjunct professor in Adams State University\u2019s Prison Education Program and for the nonprofit organization Unbound Authors. She has an MFA in creative writing from Western Colorado University.\u00a0 https:\/\/anitamumm.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Type of Story: Review<\/p>\n

An assessment or critique of a service, product, or creative endeavor such as art, literature or a performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This book is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award for Anthology. Prairie Oasis:\u00a0 Seven Lives in Joes,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[21923,1022,21924,171,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-24389","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-anthology","9":"tag-books","10":"tag-eastern-plains","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114766464333180289","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}