Little darling greeted me
in the back yard, slender face,
dark eyes, coal black hair.
Seemed interested to meet me,
walked forward without hesitation.
I froze, unable to speak, not unlike
my bashful behavior at thirteen
in the presence finally of the attractive
classmate that peaked my blood pressure,
but so shy no words would pass my lips.
I retreated inside to ponder
the situation. Through the window
she seemed lost and lonely.
But then her sister appeared,
a twin, same exact features.
Courage up I went back out
where there was yet another sister.
Triplets? Oh, my. They all wanted
to meet me. Impressed but unsettled,
I stalled, equivocated in self-talk.
They surely seemed harmless, but
conditioning kicked in, triggered
a Pavlovian response.
The large, tell-tale white stripe
unnerved me. The lovely
little stinkers had no fear of me.
I spotted the mother loitering
close by at the edge of the yard.
Reasoned she would veto
any close relationship I might pursue.
Next day five little kits scrounged
around the yard. They visited
for several days, soliciting
food but I never obliged.
Like with some relatives,
it’s good to see them come
but a greater joy to see them go.
Poem by Wesley Sims
Wesley Sims has published three chapbooks of poetry: When Night Comes, 2013; Taste of Change, 2019; and A Pocketful of Little Poems, 2020. His work has appeared in Artemis Journal, Connecticut Review, G.W. Review, Liquid Imagination, Plum Tree Tavern, Novelty Magazine, Poem, Poetry Quarterly, Bewildering Stories, and others. https://wesleysims884296882.wordpress.com/poetry-of-wesley-sims/