language borrowed from 1-star yelp reviews of taxidermy services
I
one word: tragedy.
this shop lost my antlers and tried
to give me somebody else’s deer mount.
i was lied to, deceived,
put on the back burner and
picked up
my deer today which is by far the worst
i’ve seen. the deer looks like it’s been in a shed
for 20 years: bald spots, cowlicks, faded
hide.
this deer meant the world to me.
a complete scumbag and a total thief.
II
noticed at the time i picked it up: a chunk missing
out of one of the ears.
got home & looked at
the pictures of the sheep
i harvested.
the cape color was darker
& the ears has no chunks missing.
III
stayed for 20 minutes with a dead animal to drop off. no one showed.
anyone who would like to know more about this terrible experience, feel free to message me.
this is NOT my last words on the topic.
IV
the cat that was mounted is most definitely not my cat.
not to mention
the cat that i have in my possession
looks like it was a road kill that was picked up in the middle of July
and not a mature, healthy February cat.
this cat’s fur is thin, and shows numerous bald spots.
not my February-cat.
V
cross-referenced the mount with the many pictures i took
after shooting my cat. there are many spots that simply do not match up
on a side note, the friend who was holding my cat for me got the most bizarre mounting of six ducks that seemed to be diving straight down. but that is his story…

Laura is an emerging writer currently living in the Bronx with her husband and rescue pup, where she works as a video editor.