Sonnet to a furious raccoon

you do not understand the ways of men who have a fondness for the furry wild and keep you not through meanness we beguiled you from your natural haunts into a pen we led you fed you fattened you and then carried you in tonight to please a child we did not know that you would be so riled hissing glow-eyed from out your sofa den do not be angry at us fuzzy coon snatched from your hibernation’s solitude to crouch in terror before enemies we know the pleasures that you bring die soon man-heart coon-heart are close together viewed we see our own fear-mad uncertainties © Jacqueline Jackson 2008