ALONE by John Nail

After the funeral, when the men were outside smoking and talking about the crops or the weather or anything except the guest of honor, someone said,"Wherever he's going, I hope he won't be too lonely." I knew the deceased. He had been a hunter and "dog man" and I said something like, "He'll be in fast company for sure."

Later, in the first ritual of early fall, I found myself sitting under a yellow poplar tree at daybreak waiting for the fox squirrels to come out of their den in a big, old, beech a fair bow shot to the west, and thinking about the nature of lonliness.

Unless he's been part of a sensory deprivation experiment, even a hermit has never really been lonely. A fly can be considered company, if only slightly less welcome than an in-Iaw.

~

"Alone" is another thing entirely.

I like to hunt alone.

Oh, I like the cook-out and carnival atmosphere of an organized dove shoot, and I wouldn't miss watching a kid's eyes as your retriever delivers his first drake mallard and you playfully tuck one of the curly tail feathers in his hat band and praise his shooting, but some animals demand and deserve one on one. Sitting in a tree waiting for a buck is best done alone.

What better time to get to know you?

To face the buck, you must first face yourself.

Isn't that really why you came here?

To really HUNT the squirrel, I must become him.

Any fool can kill.

The coppery flash of a turkey's tail in the morning sun reminds me of an ancient warrior's shield and the dance of his strut does nothing to dispell the vision.

A perfect adversary for the soul.

When we hunt alone, it's a better than even bet we'll take home more than we can cook.

Death has a different meaning for the Natural man or woman.

It is a part of our lives and holds little fear for us, as long as we aren't wasted.

Heaven for me will have game and fish, dogs and storms and rainbows.....and you.

I'm sure there'll be room.

Our final, greatest challenge will come when the dogs of time force us to turn and face ourselves at bay.

I hope my aim is true.