BY LAWRENCE HALL

A Cat is Stillness in Motion

For Tuxedo-Cat, Who Simply Moved in One Day.

There is no stillness like a cat

To the laws of physics a stillness unknown

When all is still he is stiller still

Even stiller than a stick or stone

There is no motion like a cat

A silent slink upon delicate paws

A smoke-like current now still again

To eye a chameleon 

and sharpen his claws

If a Bee Stings Me

If a bee stings me, pity the poor bee

If a wasp stings me, then pity me!

Being a ‘Possum Must be Rough

A Dachshund’s Night Patrol

Being a ‘possum can only be rough

Dragged all over the yard by a dachshund

A furious dachshund half its size

Until it collapses into a faint

And unconscious cannot see the absurdity

Of this old man chasing the dachshund all over the yard

Explaining that the ‘possum is a beneficent species

Demanding obedience, and receiving none

It’s not at all biblical, but even so

I command the dog to let my ‘possum go

(No ‘possums were harmed in the making of this minor marsupial motion picture)

A Deer and I Surprised Each Other

Silence

We paused

We looked

She leaped

I said

Goodbye

But she

Was gone

And I

Was left 

There all

Alone

The October Squirrel Festival

For Jerry Nobles, of Happy Memory. Our Town Pharmacist and a Joyful Friend

Squirrels!

They’re up the trees; they’re down the trees

They swarm each other just like bees

They’re up the oak; they’re down the pine

They really need a traffic fine

Dachshunds!

Our outraged pups – they yap and bark

While chasing squirrels all over the park

Dachshunds are usual merry and curious

But with squirrels they are fast and furious

But not fast enough

Cats!

Tuxedo-Cat, all proper and prim

Watches the others with a face all grim

Wolf-Dog-Coyote Things, Dachshunds, and a ‘Possum

“Luna! Stop it! Let go of that ‘possum! Astrid! Get out of it! You’ll get bitten! Luna! Do you hear me!? Stop it! Let go! Astrid! Get out of the way! Luna!”

(Snarls, hisses, and the crashing of garden tools for effect)

The wolf-dog-coyote things sang in the fields

The dogs fought with a ‘possum in the shed

Which wasn’t organized very well before

But after the fight one can’t even step inside

The ‘possum has at last safely escaped

The little dogs are quite proud of themselves 

They and I are all panting for breath 

And the wolf-dog-coyote things have gone quiet

The rural life does not often admit

Time for meditation, reflection, and peace

In Nature We Are Only a Menu Item

Purporting to love nature is a commonplace

This does not mean that nature loves us back

We often look for nature’s smiling face

But nature looks for us as a tasty snack

The alligator is defended for being here first

The gentle boar is a creature of God

Anopheles wants only to quench its thirst

The innocent shark hungers only for cod

Communing with nature cannot be beaten—

Up until the moment when you are eaten!