a week ago in prime time a BBC telly report:

- increased prevalence of allergies -

- many more cases these days

- children are too clean

- we need to get back to basic good bacteria

- interacting with animals

- mucking about in earth

- more direct exposure -

premise casually brain-stored

 

last week in a local shop

a bottle full of small glittery pink chunks:

HIMALAYAN SALT CRYSTALS

how exotic!

I am excited twiddly in my belly

no idea why – but I am

I place it on my condiment shelf

at the front

so I won’t forget I got it

 

two days later

in a stray sunbeam the crystals twinkle at me

I laugh

I pop a pretty piece into my mouth

mmmm … the taste is – well – salty – seductive

strong !

I spit it into my palm

stare at this saliva-shiny pink crystal

and a memory sparks

vividly

 

‘eight years old

squeezing between wooden logs of the zigzag fence

racing across the bumpy pasture

dodging cow pies and thistles

fixed on the distant prize

who will be the first to reach the pink rock

in the middle

me! me!

 

dropping on all fours over the dirty lump

all dips and waves smooth as a baby’s bum

and spitting lushly into the biggest hollow

rubbing off  dried slobber until a spot is clear

pinkly gleaming

then going down

salivating

to lick the rock salt like the cows

licking licking

until my sister says pettishly

my turn!

huddled by the far-off fence

the curious herd shuffles and moos’

 

time snaps me back to the kitchen

and the rosy fragment in my hand

I laugh I have to laugh

well - that was bacteria exposure to the nth

great new slogan for the Allergies Campaign:

Back to Basics - KISS A COW!

 

but – wait a minute - actually -

hold the fanfare -

How is Hoof and Mouth transmitted!

 

 

Cynthia Buell Thomas