Kept (Stuffed & Real) Animals

Beware the company you keep,
it speaks volumes (even in silence).

On all fours, fingers cling
unwilling to let go of hares ears
regardless of how it slows progress

On wobbly first steps, one arm stays tucked
securing the freshly washed hare in place
headless of how it thwarts balance.

Through tantrum tears, fists clench
'round ratty old rabbit ears
unaware how easily fabric rips.

Through first-day-of-school tears, a promise
swims through crystal clear water
unbelievable how easily friendship surfaces.

At first signs of puppy love, words bubble
aimed at a golden, fishy friend
not knowing how quickly feelings swim away.

At first signs of teenage angst, taunts stir
the waters blurring the boundaries of friendship
not realizing how quickly fish fade out-of-water.

Behind dorm room doors, nerves quake
caging outgoing nature like the glass-bound lizard
uncertain how to climb out into the world.

Behind newly mortgaged doors, loneliness multiplies
like each of the lizards in their own cage (together, but alone)
unsure how to reach out beyond the glass.

On life's last legs, former internal regulators
need external assistance like the cold-blooded friends long gone
crazy how comforting their silence always was.

Beware the company you keep,
it speaks volumes (even in silence).

---

A note on form:  In continuation of my exploration of forms created by the poets of dVerse Poets Pub, I tested the water of Mary Kling's form called, "circular time poem."  The basis of the form follows:  "The most important thing is to begin and end with the same two-line stanza.  The second most important thing is to write about something in a time progression."  While she did not provide any guidelines for the length of the stanzas in between (those following a "time progress"), I followed suit and went with three lines per stanza.  Her example also incorporated a line of repetition along with some additional pattering among the lines; since not mentioned as a guideline, I did deviate from this, though I did try to embedded some links between the center stanzas.  (In case you are wondering, my "something" was technically pets; I'm not sure a stuffed animal counts, but....)

An aside:  Honestly, I'm not sure how easy this piece is to follow outside of my own mind.  Several (or more than several) of the stanzas are a bit...I'm not sure the right word...obtuse, opaque, abstruse, ambiguous...apparently I like words that begin with vowels.  Leave it to me to take a very simple form and distort it.