The Carrot. A Poison Update.

You know how, sometimes, you have this heffalump in your chest and your heart is beating too hard, and you really want to shout very loudly, but you can't, because you're too afraid to make a scene?

That's what I wanted to do on Darling Street this morning. But I'm a fearful creature, and so I didn't.

What's the drama, you ask?

A little thing. Nothing even. And that's just the point.

All the posters warning people of the dog baiting have gone. All of them. If you haven't already read one, too bad.

I guess those posters weren't as crucial to the wellbeing of the community as the ones advertising concerts, garage sales, and oh! halloween coming up, only 30-odd days away now, don't forget!

But I lie. There IS one poster still up. The one at Simply Anything 4 Pets. A petshop that actually puts up information about our pets being poisoned - on their door and glass frontage, and even on their sidewalk sandwich board. It's almost enough to make my heart swell with happiness again.

And that's where I saw this new little Carrot.

Click to enlarge.

I saw another on the Woolie's notice board, already obscured by other notices advertising a room for rent, a dependable babysitter, an old piano for sale...who knows what really, I was too disturbed to take notes.

Over at Mort Bay, there are quite a few Carrots up, I'm told. But I wonder.

Is it possible that someone - who doesn't go to Mort Bay, who doesn't live down the road from it, who maybe doesn't even have a dogcatferretchild - has helpful information for the police?

Isn't it just possibly possible?

If the Carrots are only up at the park, how will the rest of the community keep updated? Why are there no in-your-face posters, like there would be, say,  for a local election? Is it too scary for people to know that they're living in a place that's not all fat jam doughnuts, juicy balmain bugs and 5 coffeebean coffees? Is it because very few people actually care?

The sky is a faultless blue today that's painful to see. Magpies are swooping about, looking for a bare head or 2 to peck. It's already too hot for Spring. A day made for gingermintcarrot&apple juice to wash down a greasy works breakfast, al fresco of course. A day to sun-toughen soft pale winter toes on some grassy knoll.

If you ask me, it's also time - to not be chased away from our favourite park because of the actions of one sociopath, to not laugh at THIS problem because it's not YOUR problem.

And to remember why, in the first place, we all chose to live in this particular neighbourhood that weourdogscatsferrets&children call home.