is a lesson to pass along to the ants,
the robins and sparrows,
the garter snakes and groundhogs,
the hound dogs and terriers,
the calves and ponies, the locust
and maple trees, the rosebuds
and irises, the city streets
and country lanes, so they can all
one by one turn to me and say
“No shit, buddy. Tell it to your own.”