There're lots of enticing pickings
for raccoons at the compost heap—
apple cores, Caesar salad, some
corn still on the cob. The garden
boasts cherry tomatoes that fit

raccoon paws like a baseball
in a mitt. On the porch where
we had drinks are canned nuts,
chips and dip. Fish flakes in jelly
embellish the cat dish. All of

these edibles untouched—
the masked bandits did pass through
on their nightly raid, but left their
gamboling paw prints only around
the children's slide and swing set.


© by Dennis Trujillo.
Used with the author's permission.