PET ROCKS


Have you
ever had a pet?

No –
I don’t mean
a ‘pet rock’.

Pet rocks may be portable,
make no demands,
and require
no cleaning up after.
But, have you ever
stood in the brittle cold
and heard the rocks crack
in the dense frigidity of
mid winter?
Molecules of water
seeking minimal flaws,
crystallise and expand
in the sinking cold,
and the rock is spilt.
It has received nothing from you,
nor given any back.

No –
I don’t mean
fish.

Fish are fun to keep, but -
Fish are in their element,
looking out.
And you 
are  in the cage,the one beingwatched.

No-
I don’t mean
reptiles.

They may know your scent,
and associate your good care
with security, food and shelter.
Their flicking tongues
and leathery skins are
tactile and entertaining.
But, undiscriminating -
they will as soon bite
you as the mouse you offer.

And wild things?
No –
I meant them not.

For who could enjoy the
caged gazelle,
fettered and corralled,
unable to leap and run
according to its design?
Or the eagle,
unable to rise and gyre
on magnificent wings
in the winding air?

More,
I was thinking,
of the really domestic kind:
Dogs, horses, and cats -
even rabbits, cattle and the like.
For they have affection to share -
loyalty and matched purpose
with working man -
though, at that
I think I would
exclude poodles and ponies,
my pet peeves -

And who grieves over a rock
when it is gone?
It is good
for naught but gravel.
A real pet
lives in your memory,
ever to be enjoyed.



By James Gagiikwe © 2007