PRAIRIE DUST AND TIME

I shot a rabbit once
with a .300 Winchester magnum
just to watch him do a gymnastic
floor routine for me.
Though he rushed the double
somersault and his missing
limbs faulted the landing,
he still scored a 5.4 from my table.

Mostly because of his effort,
mostly because of his timing,
but most of all, because he
showed a certain personality most
gymnast rabbits with no limbs lack.

I once asked an old friend of mine if
one of these limbless gymnast
rabbits ever ran for office
would he win. And my friend
replied, “Well…well, if they’ll
elect a jackass like Carter,
I-I’ll reckon anything’s possible.”