Keeping Rabbits Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

Keeping rabbits

After the German army surrendered, life was tough
the army had employed many to do road work and
repairing bridges, the allies had bombed.
With freedom of movement to roam in the night
followed theft of food items like the man who
stormed into a bakery waving a rusty Mauser gun
stealing bread; the coal depot needed security
guards as did the sausage producer.
The police force was reduced, and many officers had been
fired since they had been Nazi sympathizers during
the war of occupation; mind, many trickled back
in uniform when trespasses were overlooked.
Of serious crimes, there was one who assaulted women
going home late, knocking them down and stealing
underwear, which back then was a bombastic affair
yet an intimate garment; the newspaper reporting
the case wrote, ladies' items had been stolen
In our time of need, my mother's brother gave her
two white rabbits, the rabbits soon became many
sweet bunnies, and before we knew the flat was full.
A lady, from the posh part of town, bought the rabbits
her action had not been charitable, she was later
seen wearing a white fur coat.