Kevin J. McDaniel “When I Hid Death”
I wrote “When I hid death” shortly after burying my child’s pet guinea pig. With each shovelful of dirt, I had a passing thought: Even a poor, innocent guinea pig tastes death. Very sad. What bothered me most, however, was the thought of my having to explain death to a 3-year-old. I didn’t know how; I wasn’t ready. Then, I began to reflect on my own mortality—in particular, what loved ones, friends, and other folk will tell my daughter “when I am boxed up that way.” Throughout the drafting stages, I kept telling myself that the poem needed to be more than about the loss of a beloved pet. As writers, we can thank Lassie for messing that up!
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Kevin J. McDaniel lives in Pulaski, Virginia, with his wife, two daughters, and two old chocolate Labs. To date, his work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in Artemis Journal, Broad River Review, Common Ground Review, Floyd County Moonshine, Freshwater Literary Journal, Gravel, JuxtaProse, The Cape Rock, The Main Street Rag, The Offbeat, Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Wiley Cash (Volume X) and others. His recent chapbook, Family Talks, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2017.
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