a raccoon and a chicken
were dancing in the alley
under the dim and dirty light
of the intersecting street

it startled me to see
the smile on the face of the shrewd raccoon
but shocked me to see
the smile on the lips of the hen

the music drifted in
from a few blocks north
i imagined the dingy bar
as i reminisced over the past

the raccoon grabbed the hen
she put up no fight
his choke hold was stifling
her smile faded quickly

the chicken let out a cluck
it was all that she could manage
her heart needed to screech, to vent, to scream
but it was not to be

the raccoon was relentless
in his new dance of death
murder lived in his eyes
sanity fled from his heart

as the song ended
i woke from the dream changed
yet, the lesson eludes me
as the new day draws to a close

sleep approaches
and the raccoon waits patiently
and the scream is still captive
in the breast of the hen