The Natural World (sort of)

Last week our boomerang daughter moved out of the house, a real step forward for her.  Yesterday we moved her pet lizards in their glass terrariums to her new home.  The following poem is based on my limited observations of these animals, especially Monty the Leopard Gekko. (I'm not sure that a gekko is technically a lizard, but this is not the Discovery Channel.) This one made me feel Gary Snyder-ish.

                                              Seven Lessons from the Caged Lizard

                                                                        1.

                                                Not all walls are visible.

                                                                        2.

                                                You can’t have everything you see.

                                                                        3.

                                                You can’t see everything,

                                                but you must keep looking.

                                                                        4.

                                                Sometimes the best exercise is to sit still;

                                                other times it’s stupid.

                                                                        5.

                                                If you wait long enough,

                                                crickets will fall from the sky-

                                                but they still must be caught.

                                                                        6.

                                                Eat the skin you shed;

                                                it helps you grow.

                                                                        7.

                                                Your whole world

                                                can be lifted and moved.