BLUEBERRIES AND CRAYFISH

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Cliff Watson

—Form after Billy-Ray Belcourt, Shapes of Native Nonfiction (UW Press, 2019).

I LOVE TO WALK THE BELLEVUE LAKE-TO-LAKE TRAIL \ MY DOG WINSTON IS A BIG FAN, PEEING ON EVERYTHING ALONG THE WAY \ MESSAGES \ I WAS HERE \ I BRING LITTLE BAGS TO COLLECT AND THROW AWAY HIS DOGGY BUSINESS \ THIS CAN MAKE RUNNING CHALLENGING, A STOP-AND-GO AFFAIR \ THE TRAIL IS A HODGE-PODGE OF GRAVEL DIRT BARK ASPHALT \ SIX YEARS OF WALKIES \\ I LOVE TO PICK BERRIES AT THE LARSEN LAKE BLUEBERRY FARM ALONG THE TRAIL \ I BRING A BUCKET AND WEIGH THEM AT THE SHACK BY THE MAIN ROAD \\ I READ THAT DUWAMISH PEOPLE LIVED IN THIS AREA FOR OVER ONE THOUSAND YEARS MAYBE TEN THOUSAND YEARS \ PERHAPS SOME OF THEM ENJOYED PICKING BERRIES NEAR LARSEN LAKE \ SALMONBERRIES RASPBERRIES TRAILING BLACKBERRIES STRAWBERRIES HUCKLEBERRIES SALAL THIMBLEBERRIES \ I WONDER ABOUT BLUEBERRIES \ WHICH ARE BLUE LIKE AN EVENING SKY \ AFTER THE SETTING SUN OF A DAY \ AN ERA \ BLUE LIKE EYES \ BUT DUWAMISH EYES? \\ PART OF THE CREEK CONNECTING THE LAKES HAS BEEN COVERED OVER \ UNDER ASPHALT \ STRAIGHTENED \ REROUTED \ REDIRECTED FOR NEW REASONS \ COMMERCIAL REASONS \ INTO A LARGE METAL PIPE \\ LARSEN IS NOT A DUWAMISH NAME \\ BELLEVUE WETLANDS FLOW TO LARSEN LAKE AND ON TO LAKE WASHINGTON \ SINCE 1894, ALL KINDS OF REROUTING OF WATERWAYS HAS HAPPENED FOR AGRICULTURE AND OTHER LAND USE \ ANYWAY, SOMEONE DROPPED CUTE RED CRAYFISH INTO A BELLEVUE WATERWAY FOR FISHING \ OR SOME REASON \ I FOUND A CUTE FIERCE RED CRAYFISH ON THE TRAIL AROUND LARSEN LAKE \ I READ ABOUT THEM ONLINE A FEW YEARS AGO \ RED SWAMP CRAYFISH \ YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO KILL THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE INVASIVE AND OUTCOMPETE THE NATIVE BROWN CRAYFISH \\ DUWAMISH PEOPLE CATCH NATIVE CRAYFISH AND FRESHWATER MUSSELS FOR FOOD \\

THE IRONY OF KILLING RED INVADERS \ CRUSH THEM SO THEY CAN’T GET BACK TO THE WATER \ IT SEEMS SO FIERCE \ ALL THIS KILLING AND INVADING \\ I LOVE TO WATCH THE BIRDS AT LARSEN LAKE \ TALL BLUE HERONS HUNTING FROGS \ SOMETIMES THEY STALK BETWEEN THE ROWS OF BLUEBERRY PLANTS \ BILLS LIKE LONG KNIVES \ YOU’VE GOT TO SEE ONE FLY AT DUSK THEY LOOK LIKE PREHISTORIC BEASTS \ HERE FOREVER \\ I’VE SEEN COYOTE RACCOON RABBIT DUCK RED-WING BLACKBIRD BARN OWL GREAT HORNED OWL \ I’VE WATCHED ROCKUS CROWS CHASE THE BIG QUIET OWLS AWAY \ HARASS THEM UNTIL THEY LEAVE \ LIKE THEY OWN THE PLACE \\ SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON’T PICK UP AFTER THEIR DOGS \ THERE ARE POO BAG DISPENSERS IN AT LEAST 5 LOCATIONS AROUND THE LAKE AND NEARBY CEDAR GROVE \ THESE PEOPLE ACT LIKE THEY OWN THE PLACE OR SOMETHING \ I’VE SEEN A DUCK MISSING MOST OF A WING \ PROBABLY FROM A DOG SOMEONE DIDN’T LEASH \ LIKE THEY OWN THE PLACE \\ THEY PROBABLY LOVE THE TRAILS TOO \ EVEN IF THEY TREAT IT LIKE THEIR OWN BACKYARD \ OR MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE’S BACKYARD \ NOT MY PROBLEM SYNDROME \\ THE THING I DON’T LOVE ABOUT THE BLUEBERRY FARM IS THAT IT BORDERS 148TH AVE NE A BUSY THOROUGHFARE \ THE GRINDING RHYTHM OF TRAFFIC CAN DROWN OUT BIRDS AT SOME TIMES OF DAY \\ I LEARNED THERE IS NO WORD FOR LOVE IN LUSHOOTSEED \ THAT LOVE IS EXPRESSED THROUGH GOOD KIND CHARITABLE THOUGHTS WORDS ACTIONS SONG DANCE \ DRUM \ RHYTHM OF LOVE \ THAT THE DRUMBEAT IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE FIRST PEOPLE \ THE LAKE AREA IS VERY DIFFERENT NOW \ I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO LISTEN FOR THE HEARTBEAT \ MAYBE THE BIRDS KNOW \ IT’S HARDER TO FIND A CRAYFISH TO ASK

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