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Room in My Heart
by Betsy Stowe
1997 Muse MedallionTM Winner
(Originally published in laJoie Magazine, June 1997)
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A
train whistle screams into the night;
Soon, the alarm clock will jolt me to consciousness;
And on the periphery of these mundane intrusions,
Stray cats tiptoe past my window,
Oblivious to the darkness which awaits them.
Silent -- stalking -- scrounging --
Searching for some tiny morsel
To fill their empty bellies.
How can I ignore these long-ago deities?
How can I, one among millions,
Enjoy my happy home,
Allowing them to multiply a thousandfold,
Permitting them to struggle
Through warring lives of hardship,
Only to die miserably alone,
Never tasting a winter's evening
Dozing by a cozy hearth
With tuna and cream served to them on a plate?
I cannot save them all,
Any more than I can silence the whistles, or the bells,
Or any of the sounds so well-intentioned --
Sounds which, inevitably, drown out the truth.
But surely I can find room in my home for one . . .
For just one?
Copyright © Betsy Stowe 1997
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