I see them on the side of the road
have to hold back tears or
suffer similar fate —
we are merciless these days
our endless race
to get from here to there
nevermind the casualties —
so I file them away with
Roadside Tragedies
too much to bear for any family
until they reappear in a dream
their sweet furred selves,
mom and her babes
masked and giggling
running circles on
a green shag carpet that
could be grass or forest
or pillowed green moss
a soft landing for heartache,
respite from the cruelties
of our hard, brutal world
©2024 Jen Payne. Photo from U.S. Fish and Wildlife. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.
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