Granting Passage
I wake each morning
expecting carnage
a tiny grey mouse
on the hallway carpet
a pink-nosed mole
on the bathroom tile
or a black toad
by the dryer
Sometimes the offering
is truncated
A crawfish claw
a sparrow head
a tail
I live with predators
I understand
that I am their god
So I must assume my duties
take up their offering
in a clean white napkin
go forth & stand by the river
that runs beside our home
This moment
is always bigger than me
It is never smaller
Mercy? It is too late
Forgiveness? They are innocent
Blessing? Please
I’m just repeating
the sacrifice
that through the ages
has kept their world aspin
kept food on the table
kept away the thing
that waits for them
in the dark woods
on the other side
of the river
The truth is
I do not want the dead
in my home
That is the only reason
I grant them passage
I raise my arm like an idol
I fling the mouse across the river
—Patrick O’leary
PS: For everyone’s good, we have indoor cats now.