https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/d2b2fd7353d609e3b0cbeac6545deacd.pdf d0e10f6888739990f51b7543c0d6fe68 PDF Text Text ELEGY ON VELVET PAWS Sandi Anderson The rain came down in soft warm drops that flowed together and ran in rushing torrents down the gutter in the street. He could hear it beating on the trash cans; the drops falling off the fire escape, mixing with the odors of tin, brick, and wet dirt. His name was Joe Trujillo, and he was Puerto Rican. He belonged to, and was the leader of, a street gang called the Diablos. Self-remorse filled him when he thought of the stupidity of trying to take the short cut from the bar, through the dead end alley, up the fire escape and over the roof­ tops—especially alone. He remembered that as he had started to run across the street, the hoods had emerged from a tenement building next door and chased him. They cornered him in the alley and forced him into the sha­ dows. One grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall of the restaurant. “Josie baby, you really got careless, didn’t cha’?” Said the big pimpled face. “Thought yo’d take our turf didn’ ya?” They tore into him with the knucks, holding him up and crashing their brass-covered fists into his body. The last punch wasn’t with their fists, for Joe saw the flash of the shiv as it poped its head out of the fake ivory handle like a rat out of a hole and tore its searing way into his guts. He remembered the last thing he saw: two yellow, staring eyes that belonged to an observant alley cat crouched behind the trash cans, under the fire es­ cape. When he opened his eyes the cat was still there, watching him with the unblinking stare of the centuries. The eyes were set in a silvery coat that caught the glitter of the neon lights. Their eyes met—held. The cold, staring eyes of the cat and the pain-dulled eyes of the boy. As he lay, Joe again marveled at how clear everything seemed to be. He heard the honking of a car horn in the street and the screech of tortur­ ed tires. The purr of the motor was drowned by the rumble of the running feet of the hoods. The angered voice of some nameless man cut through the air, followed by the jeers of the kids and the clank of a manhole cover as tires passed over it. Joe screamed inside, but his voice came only as a helpless gurgle. “Jesus,” he thought, “Can’t they hear me?” He felt himself slipping, fading. Jarring himself awake he thought, “I’m dying!” Then put the thought out of his mind. “It can’t be,” he thought, “They alius say if ya want heart, get Josie!” He slipped into unconscious­ ness as his bloody lips formed the words, get Josie, get Josie. Joe awakened to the sound of shuffling feet. An old man was lifting the lids on the trash cans and carefully replacing them. The old wino was �mumbling, his hands shook, and the saliva ran down his chin in streams that caught in his smoke-yellowed beard. “Don’ none dese bastards ever clean dere ashtrays?” He walked over to Joe. “Whasha matter, buddy?” he asked. “Hey! Ya got a cigarette?” The old man fumbled through Joe’s shirt pocket and took the cigarettes. “Thash whacha git fer drinkin’ too mush!” “No! No! Joe screamed, but the old man was gone. Joe turned pain­ fully and looked at the gaping wound in his stomach. The blood ran over the pavement and he could see his innards. All at once the realization that he was really dying came to him, and he was surprised to find that he wasn’t frightened. He regretted having to leave his sister and nephew, but he knew she could manage all right, with her income. “Only,” he thought, “I hate like hell to be lanoe.” Then he raised his dimming eyes and met those of the cat. His gaze was transfixed by that of the cat . . . he went deeper into the yellow-green .... deeper . . . . deeper, until all was a combination of the soothing effects of color. The sun was shining, and the grey sparrows preened themselves on the edge of the fire escape. The cat stepped out into the sunlight and eyed the lifeless form once more. She stretched and uttered a throaty roar. Languidly stretching once more, she licked a velvet paw and bounded up the fire es­ cape to scratch on her owner’s screen door for breakfast. ROSIE See the rose? Smell with nose. As rose grows, This nose knows. As Petals fall, For nose that’s all. So nose must wait, And wait, and wait. As winter comes, And fall now goes; The north wind blows. And nose now knows That winter has Its own sweet smell; And now on spring He need not dwell. —9— � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Print magazine story and poem Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Elegy on Velvet Paws" and "Rosie" Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> The Casper College Archives has archived this story and poem to encourage the use of the Casper College Expression Literary and Arts Magazines for digital humanities and other related educational uses. Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1964 Description An account of the resource "Elegy on Velvet Paws" and "Rosie" by Sandi Anderson published in the fall 1964 Casper College Expression magazine. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sandi Anderson Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. 1964 Fall. Expression Literary and Arts Magazine, CCA 04.ii.c.2022.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA_04.ii.c.01_Expression1964_Fall_Anderson Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Extent The size or duration of the resource. 2 pages