Canyon Lands

by T J Reeder

  Girl, “And we learned about our mommies.”

  Boy, “The one with the good boobies is mommy Bets, it was her tummy we were in, but I don’t know how we got there. She nuzzles on our faces and necks and it makes us feel nice. When she looks at us it’s like…I don’t know the right words for it but it’s nice.

  Girl, “She doesn’t scare us when she shows her fangs. She always has this soft beautiful look on her face and she makes nice sounds and says how much she loves us. I’m not sure what that is, but I’m sure it is good.

  Boy, “All of our mommies and daddy bud buddy John say that, so I think it is a good thing too.”

  Girl, “Then there is mommy Sany, she carries me around and tells me she will always take care of us and keep us safe. I don’t really understand safe but since I know her sounds from before I like it. She says I have to get a horse and learn to ride. I try to say I will but she can’t understand.”

  Boy, “Mommy Sany makes fart sounds on my tummy and I pull on her hair. She carries me too, and rocks me, I like that. Then I try to get her boobie and she takes me to mommy Bets and tells her to feed this ‘bottomless pit’. I don’t understand why I can’t have some of hers she has plenty. She showed me a room with what she calls ‘kick ass weapons’ and tells me how she will have me shooting them by the time I’m three, whatever that means.”

  Girl, “Then we have mommy Mae, she has beautiful blue eyes, I think that is the right word. She carries us too and talks about keeping us safe. I don’t really understand but I listen. She is so careful when she holds us like we will break. Since we didn’t break getting squished out of mommy Bets tummy, I don’t think she will.”

  Boy, “Mommy Mae gets wet stuff in her eyes when she looks at us and talks about all she will do to keep us safe. I don’t really know safe, same as sis, but ok. She won’t let me have her boobie either. I try real hard, but she just takes me to mommy Bets. Mommy Bets only has two, one for me and one for sis, I think the other mommies should let me drink theirs but they just say theirs don’t work. But they feel like mommy Bets do so…….”

  Boy, “Then there is daddy, buddy bub John. I don’t know why he has so many names but we heard them all since we were in mommy Bets’ tummy. He just looks at us with a funny look on his face and shakes his head side to side. It’s like we ain’t right but we can’t do anything about it. When he picks me up he shows his fangs and calls me his little man. I showed him how my plumbing could reach all the way to his head. He made a loud sound and scared me and I cried. All the mommies fussed at him, then they started making loud sounds, then acted like I had done the funniest thing ever!”

  Girl, “Mommy Mae says boys will be boys and all the giants made noise again. She said we are something called ladies and don’t do stuff like that.”

  Boy, “Just because you can’t.”

  Girl, “Could too if I wanted to, mommy Sany said girls are better than boys.”

  Boy, “Are not, daddy, buddy bud John calls me his little man, anyhow I was tellin this story.”

  Girl, “Go ahead, if you get something wrong I’ll let you know. You have never been quiet; remember when mommy Sany listened to mommy Bets tummy when you were saying daddy buddy bud Johns word?”

  Boy, “You mean when I was saying shit, shit, shit?”

  Girl, ”Yep, It’s good they didn’t hear what you were saying when you were getting squished out of mommy Bets tummy, fk, fk, fk, fk!”

  Boy, “You didn’t want to come out either.”

  Girl, “I know, I was scared but it’s ok now.”

  Boy, “I was telling about daddy, buddy, bud, John. When he looks at us or holds us, he looks scared shitless (stop cussin). That scares us and we cry. Mommy Bets talks to us and tells us not to do that cos it makes daddy sad, she just calls him daddy so I will too. So we try to not do it and he don’t look so scared most of the time. He just shows his fangs real big but it don’t scare us like it did at first. He talks to us a lot. He tells me about guns, I think those make the loud sounds that we heard when we were in mommys tummy. It scared sis.”

  Boy, “So then we were brought out of the new place to one with even more giants and different smells and it was real scary. Then mommy Bets took me and held me up and told everyone that my name is John Charles Walker. Walker is the dogs name. Then she took sis and held her up and said her name is Sandra May Walker. Everything got loud, we were both crying.”

  Girl, “Yes I was crying, someone calls mommy Sany, it’s my name. Someone calls mommy Mae, it’s my name. Someone calls Walker it’s my name. How am I gonna know when someone is talking to me?”

  Boy, “Sis was really crying and all the people were loud and yelling. I guess they were mad cos sis don’t have a name of her own. So, I started crying too. Maybe there aren’t many names. Then we were with a different girl person that for some reason me and sis calmed down. Sis was still jerking from crying so bad about her name but she stopped and went to sleep. This girl was rockin a little and she was comfortable. I kept tryin to drink some of her boobie but she wouldn’t let me, shit. (Stop cussin). Daddy came and tried to take one of us from, I think he called her Sher, but she wouldn’t him. I’m glad cos Sher is more comfortable than daddy. Well all this is makin me sleepy, now if I could just get to that boobie….”

  TJ

  I don’t really know why people seem to like these little books, I mean, I like em, I read them and laugh and feel good, but I wonder when it will stop, I love the folks in these books, and to end them would be like losing family.

  But one day they will come to an end, not now, not soon, but they will when it’s time. Like the horse with no name, I didn’t name him, he really did it as I wrote it, I won’t blame you for thinking “Oh bullshit, but it’s true.

  The desert is a strange place, shadows move for no reason, a wind comes from nowhere and goes the same way.

  A sound will be heard where there is no reason, you may hear a laugh where no person is.

  I’ve been there and lived it, I can’t explain it and wouldn’t if I could, some things are best left alone.

  If you listen in the night you will swear you hear the sound of distant drums and see the faint glow of a distant fire. Don’t worry it’s just the way of the desert.

  I love the desert.