Rat 1 Poem by RIC BASTASA

IF you read any of my poems
do not think that i am in there.
if you think that i am in there
you will lose yourself
you will be like a stone dropped
in the middle of the ocean
thinking that i am part of the corals
or that i assume the shape of the
shark
or hitch upon a sperm whale
and then you expect that i can take
you to places

No. If you read any of my poems
think that it is not me in there
but someone else, like a rat
or a pig, or a dog
the one that looks for something else
you know what rats look for
cheese, you know what pigs look for,
left-overs, you know what dogs look for,
the bone

then if you have finally finished reading
the poem
try reflecting light from the mirror under
the bed
and see if there is a face inside it
try pondering

or try not even thinking about any of those
that drifting cloud resting upon the shoulder
of the hill
or the sun shining like a king
or the moon cool upon the marshes
savoring the peace of the night
upon the river's face

now, you are here
there is nothing in there except those
feelings.

and you know of course what feelings are.
because you are one of them.

cool air, silent sighs, heart beats,
rushes of red blood on your cheeks
the angry word, the proposition of solitude
the pat on the shoulder
and then the drying of tears
and too
the unstoppable laughter
the smile.