{"id":11286,"date":"2026-03-18T08:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T15:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/?p=9758"},"modified":"2026-03-18T08:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T15:08:16","slug":"woodsmoke-and-wine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/woodsmoke-and-wine\/","title":{"rendered":"Woodsmoke and Wine"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- wp:themify-builder\/canvas \/-->\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drunk, she leaned backward<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">against the bar of the Crow&#8217;s Nest,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ready to topple over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Behind her,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">a dusty bottle of Drambuie<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">in on the shelf,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">last opened 35 years ago,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">a final snifter<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">for the defrocked priest,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">who gulped down the honey elixir,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">walked to the Rogue River Bridge,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">jumped off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crabs carried out justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A year later,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">resurrected as crab Louie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paunchy tradesmen surrounded her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She wore attire suited<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">for chopping firewood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her husband,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">the local Elvis impersonator,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">wasn&#8217;t around,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">back home,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">hospice,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">cirrhosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I walked in after driving 327 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and delivering a eulogy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">for a man who worshiped ospreys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She saw me and lit up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I saw her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To quote<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGood Vibrations,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>I don&#8217;t know where \/ but she sends me there<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She announced me as a writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tradesmen didn&#8217;t give a shit,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">floated away to cheap lagers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">stories about salmon<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and burn piles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hadn&#8217;t seen her in several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We caught up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She asked me where I was staying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A motel in town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wanted to ask her to follow me,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">or better yet, I&#8217;d drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I didn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ll never forget the time<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">she sat down at my table<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">in the Sea Star,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">grasped my arms,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">crushing the corduroy coat,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">said she loved<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">my book about<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oregon Coast dive bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She didn&#8217;t even read books,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">but I&#8217;d left a copy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">in the Sea Star<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and she&#8217;d read it<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">sitting at the bar<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">drinking pint glasses<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">of swill Chardonnay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She lived in the woods,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">golden hair never bound,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">somewhere east of Cape Sebastian,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">inherited property<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">from a rich mother in LA,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">now dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She made art<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">from nature,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">concocted potions from plants,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">drank,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">did drugs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">with Elvis,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">sometimes building<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">a driftwood fort alone on Pistol River,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">or hunting for agates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every day,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crow&#8217;s Nest for breakfast,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sea Star for lunch,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">never for meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They&#8217;d been pulled over<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">a dozen times in Gold Beach,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">always got off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He a high school gridiron legend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She, the hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I escorted her<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">to her red, rusted wreck<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">of a pickup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wanted to say more,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">but didn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She drove away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The husky and I hit the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Afterward, I stopped at the grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I saw her coming out<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">carrying a box of wine<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and a bag of groceries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We met at her pickup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She stashed the items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We were standing face to face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Customers passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She started crying,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">said she was an alcoholic<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and ready to lose the property<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">because of back taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I told her I loved her<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and gave her a hug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She hugged me harder,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">disengaged,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">said she loved me<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">with a slight slur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We kissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I tasted woodsmoke and wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I touched her sternum,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">my fingers incinerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People stared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was known in town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I asked her to come<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">back to the motel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We&#8217;d start a new life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her old one was almost dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We&#8217;d bury it together,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">start over in our 50s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It can be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She couldn&#8217;t do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I gave her my number,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">call if she changed her mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She didn&#8217;t call that night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She has never called.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drunk, she leaned backward against the bar of the Crow&#8217;s Nest, ready to topple over. Behind her, a dusty bottle of Drambuie in on the shelf, last opened 35 years ago, a final snifter for the defrocked priest, who gulped down the honey elixir, walked to the Rogue River Bridge, jumped off. Crabs carried out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9759,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-meditations","category-poetry","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11286\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nestuccaspitpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}