Michael Estabrook: Retired now writing more poems and working more outside just noticed two Cooper’s hawks staked out in the yard or rather above it which explains the nerve-wracked chipmunks. The Poet’s Curse, A Miscellany (The Poetry Box, 2019) is a recent collection.

Date of poem: March 27, 2020

Havahart

Didn’t have time to be depressed over

the pandemic today

over everything canceled and closed

for who knows how long

the specter of death buzzing around our heads.

We kept busy fiddling with

Havahart traps and rodent repellent

because we spotted the chipmunk

(cute little guy I must say)

that’s been living in the walls resting calmly

in the entrance to his hole

in our condo siding.

(Swear I detected a smirk on his cute little face

as he surveyed his estate.)

After he left to find food

I plugged the hole with steel wool and wood putty

baited three traps with peanut butter

went shopping for paint

(and more peanut butter)

swept the garage and front steps

brought in the mail, brought out the trash . . .

Staying busy and distracted

(and on the hunt for pesky little furry creatures)

is obviously the key