Editor’s note: This is the third in an unspecified number of quasi-poems related to Rhinos, writing and death. To read the first two parts of the Rhino series, click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.
I’ve never shot anything in my life
And I don’t think I ever will
But if I had a gun
I would shoot a Rhino right now.
That’s if I could find one.
But that’s just the thing.
It’s still not there (I mean, here).
I’ve been waiting
And I’m tired of waiting
So I’ve decided to bite the apple.
And it’s a good apple,
No worms, no seeds.
Fuck the Rhino.
What do you need a Rhino for
When you have a good apple?
What do you need a Rhino for
When you can write it all down however you want
And not answer to a single person?
Only yourself.
That’s why you bite the apple.
That’s why you look at its skin.
You examine its stem.
You notice its texture, its soft spots (if there are any)
And you bite it.
No telling what’s inside
Till you bite it.
And what gets you
Isn’t the flavor
Isn’t the juices that spray all over your cheeks
(or a beard if you have one).
It’s the beauty of biting that apple.
It’s the beauty of living
And not dying.
Writing
And not foundering.
Communicating
And not harboring
Thoughts, feelings …
It’s the beauty of accepting change
And not accepting change,
Electing to smile
And not electing to smile.
Making a decision to put it on paper
And with every ounce of your strength
Putting it on paper.
By rhino, God, or that God-forsaken apple,
Put it down on paper.
Photo source: Anime Community Vidberry