Saturday, February 15, 2014

Scorpion

The scorpion is a predatory anthropod animal that has a venomous stinger on the end of it's tail. There are over 1700 species of scorpion ranging throughout our planet - except Antarctica. Out of the 1700 species only about 25 of them have venom potent enough to kill humans. It is believed the word 'scorpion' has been derived thru English and Italian languages to originate in Greek from σκορπίος  - skorpios. Which was given to the constellation Scorpios, a large constellation laying in the Southern Hemisphere between Libra to the west and Sagittarius to the east towards the center of the Milky Way.

This critter has a couple of meanings for me, one it is dangerous if not handled correctly - secondly - why would one have any reason to handle one... as it so happens I have had reason to handle just such a critter when I lived in Rye Patch, Georgia.

Upon checking the rural mailbox on the side of the road, there was mail so I slid it onto my lap in the car. When I realized the mail was not alone I swear the monster was a foot long with pinchers a foot wide and snapping constantly while waving that damn stinger right at me. It ran across my legs and down by the seat and door. That was all I needed and unleashed my seat belt and jumped out of the car and did one of them little diddies where you spin around and flick all kinds of nasties off of you. My car door was open for all of this time but I couldn't of told you if the thing came out on it's own or not. I swallowed my fear and got back in the car - freaking out still - but maintaining - somewhat. I didn't re-hook my seat belt as I wasn't sure if I would need to make a quick bail again before I drove the 1\8th of a mile or so to my home. Then when I went to put the vehicle (column shift), into drive I find that I never took it out of drive! The car stayed in place while I did my little dance outside of it - probably laughing at me in it's own mechanical way.

I had to investigate my fear, I had to understand this and face it - by gosh! When I pulled into my parking spot I went inside and located a jar (With Lid), and back to the car - I didn't know if the scorpion was still there, but in case it was - I had jar (with lid), and chopsticks because I can work them like nobodies' business - they are extensions of my fingers without the danger that would be obvious in this situation.

Found the scorpion, caught the scorpion, placed in jar (with lid), and set up in my home to learn from. I provided a natural habitat and crickets (my own recipe for feeding other animals - long before now).

This animal became my science project until my grandchildren came to visit. I was so excited to show them the animal that in my haste I inadvertently left a chopstick in the habitat and the bugger just got up and walked the stick out and jumped onto the floor of my kitchen. It scurried under the island and unfortunately I had to deploy a safety measure for the children that ended the animal's life.

I have felt bad for that animal, it (he\she), didn't deserve what happened to it. I was naive, I was a fool. It is through experiences like the above one that have taught me to value life a little bit more. Just because I could, didn't mean I should. My curiosity, my thirst for knowledge (in this case of something I was afraid of), cost this animal it's life and that wasn't my call to make.

This picture was drawn of that animal, it is a rather rough drawing. A young friend in south Georgia seen this picture one day and asked if he could have it tattooed on him, I said yes - to me it was a way of honoring the scorpion that I caused to not be here anymore.

He gave me the original back after having it photocopied and I never thought anymore about it, and then of course you know it... I was walking across a parking lot when I walked by a group of young people leaning against their vehicles talking, and lo and behold I seen MY artwork on someone's outer bicep and was like WoW, that looks so familiar. My look must of said something because the young man the arm belonged to spoke up and called me by name (not unusual - I'd lived there almost 20 years), when I meet his eyes I realized immediately who the arm belonged to, and me giving him the picture. But I would of never thought in a million years that he would of actually inked it.

I call them animals now - not insects.
There are so many people who don't have a clue as to the person I am, they would so rather talk smack about me than get to know the truth.

I started jumping up and down a couple of years ago about a situation that will come to head soon enough, the people who needed to take heed have been so caught up in 'them' that they can't see anything beyond. I'm done screaming, I'm through with begging, I pull back to me all of my energy. 

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