I swerved to avoid hitting a squirrel
in the center of the road and that’s when
the deer came charging out of the forest
and forced me to hit the brakes for all I
was worth and I careened back to the other
side of the road just as a skunk came toddling
out of Mrs. Bancroft’s front yard and I swung
back perhaps just grazing it a bit. I glanced
quickly in the rearview mirror and in that
instant a groundhog waddled from the side
of the road and I zigzagged madly and don’t
know if I nipped it or not because up ahead I
could see a coyote stalking the Collier’s
cat. Oh well, I said, and drove the rest
of the way home without incident.
(James Tate)
More Poetry from James Tate:
James Tate Poems based on Topics: Cats- The Definition of Gardening (James Tate Poems)
- Non-Stop (James Tate Poems)
- Dream On (James Tate Poems)
- Like A Scarf (James Tate Poems)
- A Knock On The Door (James Tate Poems)
- Head of a White Woman Winking (James Tate Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Cats PoemsBased on Keywords: nipped, hitting, skunk, coyote, toddling, incident, collier, rearview, waddled, careened, bancroft