Mama Raccoon

and cub, running across the street
at 7 AM on a grey fall morning
in a quiet neighborhood.

Cub hides under a parked car.
Mama turns toward me
and puts her back up.

I ask why the sudden instinct of mistrust.
Why my heart leaps with fear
at her bristling spine.

I ask for a wider street to pass on,
for a more peaceful morning.
I ask for more trust.

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