play dead

I play dead

Like the opposum

When the lights get

Too bright

The threat of the wind

To wipe out

What I’ve built

I used to be

The kind of creature

Teeth bared

Ready for the fight

Like a big cat

Laying in the sun

I’d rather not

Exert myself

But I could

And I did

When necessary

I’m tired now

And I’m a beaver

With half a dam

Sitting on the bank

Next to a pile of sticks

Ideas I found

Mounting up

As the river rushes by

I see my work

Unfinished

And I’m frozen

In the sadness

That it doesn’t matter

What I do

I like to see results

For my efforts

And I balk

At the thought

Of fruitless trees

So I play dead

On the riverbank

Because it’s easier

Than hope

sometimes