I have a very heavy heart this week. You see a raccoon family have made a home under our shed this spring. We’ve lived in our house for about 15 years, and have never had this happen before. We’ve seen the mom and dad brazenly roaming the yard and neighborhood for weeks in the late afternoons/evening. They don’t appear to be afraid of us, which has made everyone quite nervous.
The mom had a litter of three kits, we believe, as they made their first appearance in our backyard on Wednesday evening. I discovered them after there was quite a loud ruckus outside and then the overwhelming scent of skunks. I learned later a group of skunks was roaming from yard to yard and they must have sprayed these poor kits.
In the morning, I went to pull out of my driveway and felt, as well as heard, my car hitting something. I closed my eyes and begged for it to not be so. Alas, it was as I had feared. One of the babies had been underneath my car, perhaps seeking shelter for the night, and didn’t scramble away as I beeped my car when unlocking it and starting the engine. It’s sweet masked face will haunt me for days to come. My dear friend, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, has felt the pain and sadness of the loss of an innocent animal’s sweet life, so I have shared her Baby Raccoon poem with you this week.
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Mary Lee at A Year of Reading is graciously hosting this week’s Poetry Friday. Why not join us there and spread some poetry love!
Wondering and Wandering 
Oh, Christie. I am sorry. I had a heavy heart this week too…I hit a squirrel. We are so reminded of our fast paced lives when we collide with animals just moving through their days. I am sorry and send love. xx
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Thank you, Amy. Squirrels and chipmunks play “dodgem” daily on the roads. So hard to miss them! 😦
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Wah. We do our best, but sometimes our best just isn’t good enough, and then we are left with heavy hearts and guilt. Amy’s poem is true to a point. I think many hearts DO care and are saddened by the mess we humans sometimes make of things. Hugs.
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So sorry to hear this. It reminds me of the time I hit a bunny with my car. Terrible feeling. Innocent creatures . . .
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I haven’t had this happen to me, but have written about a cat I saw lying at the side of a road. I’m so sorry. I hope Amy’s poem helps in some small way.
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For years now my partner has taken to dramatically pointing in the opposite direction and shouting something like “look over there!” when he spots a sad furry body on the road, because he knows how it upsets me to see them. 😥
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Oh, no! What an awful feeling. I go to extreme lengths to avoid hitting animals and am not always successful. I’m so sorry this happened.
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Aw, that’s sad. A lesson baby racoon doesn’t have a second chance to learn. Enjoy the rest of the racoon family and the other creatures. (Your place sounds quite Bambi-ish.)
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Oh, so sorry. What a terrible thing to experience. Poor baby raccoon. I hope that the others learn a little bit about learning to live side by side with humans. Maybe your camera could catch some of the cuteness for us?
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Poor you and poor baby raccoon! Knowing to get away from cars is one of life’s earliest, most important lessons for animals and human young ‘uns alike. (I hit a groundhog once. Awful!)
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Christie, I am so sad to read your post. I live bordering on the woods, and it’s coyote-eat-cat out there. Much as we romanticize the deep woods or the suburban garden, it’s a perilous life for the little critters. I even worried about my own young kids.
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I’m so sorry. It is heartbreaking to see the loss of life even when it is unintentional and sometimes unavoidable.
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I’m so sorry for you and the little critter. I remember hitting a small animal a long time ago, when it shot out of know where in front of my car. Sending you a hug.
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Oh, I’m sorry, Christie. I hit a squirrel on the way to school not too long ago and was haunted by it all day. Glad you found Amy’s poem to give you some comfort.
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Most of us have been there with you, Christie…sorry to hear. We hit a deer driving 65 mph on the highway about 4 years ago, and it was nerve-wracking.
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