Post Card From Home

Mark Jodon

September 29, 2024

His backyard attracted a variety of varmints:

gray squirrels, raccoons, possums, an occasional armadillo.

It was not until some of these creatures established residency 

in his attic that he felt compelled to take action.

From the local feed store, he purchased a 14-gauge 

wire trap with an easy transfer eviction door.

He placed the trap, set with dollops of crunchy peanut butter,

along the weathered fence behind the azaleas.

Only the squirrels took the bait.  He drove his captive guests 

to Memorial Park, a few miles away and released them.

His children suspected they somehow found their way back.

One morning, he checked the trap.  Inside he found 

a postcard: Although we enjoy visiting the park, 

next time may we go to the zoo?

Mark Jodon is the author of Miles of Silence (Kelsay Books 2024).  He is an Iconoclast Artist committed to bringing poetry into the public schools in Houston and Galveston.