02.10.11 - Rabbit

LESSON FROM THE RABBIT ELDER
Justin Thyme

Saw a human on a boat.
With a carrot! I took note.
Though rabbits are not known to float . . .
That carrot did such skill promote.

I jumped into the frigid lake,
And floundered toward the human’s wake.
I wondered . . . what a big mistake.
And then I thought of carrot cake.

As I approached the tasty prize,
A bit of cramping in my thighs,
That carrot, snack of giant size,
Was not itself, to my surprise.

That thing I’d bonded to my soul,
That thing I’d made my utmost goal,
That thing that made me lose control,
Was nothing but a fishing pole.

The human, though, was more surprised.
He at last now recognized
The bobbing ball of fur comprised
To be a creature much incised.

The human leaped up to defend
His life and limb. Did I offend?
He yelled and swatted to no end.
I knew right then I’d lost a friend.

I swam ashore to rest my limb,
The carrot vision growing dim.
And found myself in love with Swim!
Keeping trim without the gym.

The morning after found me there.
The clear blue water, my new lair,
Fitness, fun, and if I dare,
A fresh new way to wash my hair.

All at once I saw a mate
Astride on shore with steady gait.
I swam away and he with hate
The pond did circumnavigate.

I fell upon a clever plan
To keep some distance from the man.
I found the shore, then home I ran,
Just like that guy from Kazakhstan.

And so, my children, shun mistake.
Avoid the fox, the owl, the snake.
And when you swim keep clear the lake
That we’ve since christened “Carrot Cake.”