BOBBI
S. RUDIN
Class Pet
First day of my 7th
year in special ed.
As
I enter the classroom,
I
glance to my left and see a large glass terrarium with a heat lamp
glaring
down on a reptile who stares up at me
with circular eyes,
wide-opened.
He reads me as if I am one of the assigned books.
I
notice that his head is surrounded by a crown of spikes.
I
find out that he is of a royal line of bearded dragons.
One
day, the final bell rings. I linger. A boy has come in.
The
teacher lets him hold Puff. I want a turn.
This
no more than 8-inch lizard is passed to me.
I
gently place him like a new born on my left shoulder.
As
I softly rub his back, his miniaturized clawed hands
massage
me, like purring cat’s paws.
His
leathery body nestles in, his eyes narrow sleepily.
Our
breath and heartbeats synchronize.
I
glance down to observe him and wonder if
all
creatures enjoy a warm breast to cuddle into.
No comments:
Post a Comment