SKUNKLET
She was young
Not even half the size of
An adult American hog-nosed skunk
Maybe sixteen inches long not counting
Her fluffy white tail
And she obviously hadn’t heard that
Curiosity killed the skunk
Even more so than the cat
Skunks are always getting their heads
Stuck
In cinder blocks, in dumpster vents
In yogurt containers
This skunklet must have been
On one of her first voyages of
Exploration
When she came across a
Yard drain tube
Someone had forgotten to put on the cover
She got most of her body down into it
Before she got
Stuck
Only her white fluffy tail remained
Up above the ground and waving
She was there for hours at least
Maybe for days
Scared or possibly resigned
To her fate
But a human
Fully covered in plastic raingear
Courageously pulled her out
By the tail
And jumped away
The skunklet stood there
Bewildered
Looked around for a moment
Regained her balance
And waddled off into
The bushes
Without the expected
Skunk shower
Perhaps
She was feeling grateful
