Friday 14 July 2017

Rabbit

by Eileen Murphy


A rabbit’s body: broken.
I re-hear its squeal, like a soldier’s cry,
as I dig its grave.

Stupid rabbit
sitting in lilies and palms
thinking it’s safe.

German shepherd
dives
for the rabbit  

neighbor lady
screams,
No, Snowball! No!

grabs it
by the neck,
shakes it,

drops
the body
on the grass by our feet.

Rabbit,
wrong place, wrong time.
Like my buddy in Kobul.

House-to-house
search, no
warning, kaboom!

In my bad dream
animal soldiers lie
on their sides

crying for their mothers.


* * * * *

“Rabbit” was first published in 13 Myna Birds.


A former Chicagolander, Eileen Murphy now lives 30 miles from Tampa. She received her Masters degree from Columbia College, Chicago. She teaches literature and English at Polk State College in Lakeland and has recently published poetry in Thirteen Myna Birds, Tinderbox (nominated for Pushcart Prize), Yes Poetry, The American Journal of PoetryRogue AgentDeaf Poets Society, and other journals.




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