The Natural In Nature

NATURE SUBMISSION:

“It’s all natural,” Kathy tells Gordon, her teenaged son. “We don’t use pesticides.”

She tears lettuce into bite-size pieces. Radishes lie on the chopping board next in line for the salad.

“But chemicals can fall from rain,” replies Gordon. He fills a glass with filtered water.

Bruno, seen through a window, is crouching between rows of spinach and lettuce in the garden.

Gordon cringes. “So much for natural. Think of all the junk that dog picks up along the way in his daily romps.”

“That’s nature,” says Kathy. “Can’t help what one is meant to do.”

“Certified organic?”

From Guest Contributor Krystyna Fedosejevs

Krystyna is a writer of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. She resides in Edmonton, Canada with her husband, stuffed animals and many friends.

Mutant Frogs

“The grandkids found albino frogs again,” he said.

“We can see them much better on the grass when they're white,” they told him.

But they had found two more the week before, and he worried that the pesticides he had used had drifted into the pond and caused mutations. His wife wasn't listening; she was trying to figure out why there were two small dents in the flour in the canister just like last week.

The children herded the frogs to the edge of the pond. Where each splashed into the pond, a small, white circle floated on the water.

From Guest Contributor Diane de Anda