• BANDITS?


    Bandits of the night
    they crossed the road
    in the bright car lights
    a female and three
    young trailing
    along behind.

    Folks around here
    say they’re nothing
    but trouble.
    They’re in the garbage
    almost every night,
    looking for morsels
    in spite of the dogs,
    cats and lights.
    They should shoot
    ’em all and make
    coonskin caps
    with tails like
    Davy Crocket had.

    But Momma stays
    near the road
    protecting her young,
    stands on her hind legs
    ready to fight
    the strange
    bright eyed monster
    until with a roar
    it passes, looking back
    with bright red eyes
    growing smaller
    in the dark.

    Children
    listen to me.
    That was man.
    Stay away from him.
    He’s no good
    and his food
    is always old,
    and he’s so tight
    he locks it up
    in big cans,
    hiding it in papers
    so it’s hard to find.
    So stay away.
    He’s ugly and mean.
    And we all know
    how right she is
    when we read in
    the morning paper
    what we do
    even to each other.