Mischievous

Mischievous

As I watch the rabbit

nibble the carrots

where the marigolds

have not yet bloomed

I clap my gloved hands.

the dull sound

is loud enough

To scare away the rabbit.

When I walk over to the carrot patch

to inspect the damage done by the cottontail,

I notice black, marble eyes

staring at me

from under a canopy

of lush leaves and berries.

I back away,

not because of that rabbit,

but because of all the smaller rabbits

that are gazing at me

with the same pleading marbles.

It only takes five minutes

for the mother to return

five more for the team of little bunnies

to bravely emerge.

And as I watch them

nibble away at my carrot patch,

All my hard work in the garden

Somehow still seems

Worth it.

– Jennifer Lynn Clay