I lived close to a lawn
dry with guinea pigs
that would sometimes die in the sun
when we forgot
that the sun could move.

This happened.
Such a small face
pushed itself through the wire
like it had wanted to turn itself inside out
and we found it under the liquid amber
that had offered so much shade before the school day had begun.

When we cut it up, small kidneys and heart.
My mother performed an autopsy on our kitchen table
to show us how things are.

copyright © the author, 2000