Stuffed Animal

I was once nestled on top of your pillow,

Now I sit snug in the corner tucked closet.

I am a lonely and curious fellow–

If I had them, it’s true that my tears would deposit

On the floor of your carpet, and while I am in here,

And my friends are out there, I will listen to your laugh

As you assign them their jobs, keep you safe from your fears,

For I know I am one of those fears, I hope half

Of the stuffed orange lion– whose pride and whose strength

Can protect you in sleep, and in wake, and in dreams,

Can have fun with your friends as you do, for the length

Of your childhood wonder is only a stream

In a world filled with oceans. But soon I will be

Joined by my old, dearest friends: the striped leopard,

the gray elephant, jackal, hyena, and then we 

Will all fill a bag, and some more– german shepherd,

Rottweiler, a crow, and a bear, and a shark–

Join us too. I will say that I lost track of time

In this state, and I’ll say it’s no doubt in the dark

That I contemplated my life, for my crime

Was that I was too dangerous for your imagination.

But then, the bag opened, and there was a girl

In resemblance of you, and in my liberation

From the bag she found me a spot in her world:

I sat at the table with her and with friends,

And she told me her secrets so small but so real;

And I went to sleep sound at the top of her bed.