
#52/365 Paintings
So shy, so shy. And polite too.
As a baby he was the last to eat—allowing his brothers and sisters full cuisine before taking his share. His mother protected his share with a wry smile. So much like herself she had to protect his bashfulness. Now as a big guy he has a problem. Possums will eat just about anything on the ground. They are not picky. Grass, insects, fruit, worms, slugs, mice, snakes, even sticks and a fish here or there. But our guy he will only eat vegetables, dog food and cat food. Why? Because he ends up in long deep conversations with mice and insects. They help him contemplate his internal world and compare it to what he’s experiencing in life. He is in fact a bit of a philosopher/po-tosopher/possumosopher — that is, a mixture of possum and philosopher. He asks questions like, “Mz. Fly if you have so many eyes, how is it that your friends and family don’t see the swatter coming?” Or to the mouse, “Since you eat everything in sight all day long, why are you so small? And with so much access to nibbles, why don’t you make delicacies for your friends? You really need to open up more—share the love.” Sometimes it takes days of hanging out with the ground bearing creatures before the possum says such things. But they always stir up massive conversations that roll through the nights and keep everyone warm and laughing. So you see why, our shy, introverted possum, is so super awesome?
The last I heard he was nearly a family pet on a farm. He wore everyone out with laughter as he scrapped up the excess dog food on the porch while give them that sweet, precious look you see here. I’d adopt him is a second!