Domesticated

Fin, feather, fur, they're the same pet-

the goldfish circling in its cloudy globe,

one clockwise then one counterclockwise eye

sweeping the living room for signs of you;

the turtle, basking in a hundred watt

make-haste-slowly island paradise

of kidney-shaped lagoon, iconic palm

and feigned indifference; the budgerigar

whetting its beak on inkless cuttlestone,

a hunt-and-peck, for-your-eyes-only bard;

the gerbil gnawing in perpetuum;

the little pony, ready for its ride

roughshod over you; the green-eyed cat,

so resolute she stalks you in her sleep;

and Old Fido barking out the covenant

of his canine faith and hope, of that rapturous day

when you'll come home and throw him all your bones.