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BELLA THE HAMSTER
There you sit, tiny prisoner,
Liliputian prototype of Man,
Minute hands building bedroom,
Playroom, dining-room, loo,
Carefully ordering your barred-space-span.
With what dexterity you explore
The top of your cage, the little trap door.
Briefly I let you play
On my sofa every day.
Plushy cushions, to scale and creep
Like Himalayan peaks.
With what tenacity you gnaw
The top of your cage and little trap door.
Little children come to tea
"Pass hamster, dog and cake to me."
Much praised, that pixie-like papoose.
Then, "good heavens! Bella's loose."
Well worth your while to explore
The top of your cage, the little trap door.
Three days, you small Houdini elf
Spent on my potato shelf.
Recaptured, Buddha-like,
You meditate on your excursions
Behind fridge, into washer and other diversions.
Men too, are Houdinis who probe and gnaw
With
religion and spacecraft, the cage and the door. |
