When I first saw the bun
I thought it’d be fun:
A cute little friend for my pupper.
They will frolic and play
Until the sun’s last ray
And they both head back for supper.

It was a beautiful dream
A hypothetical scheme
Based on a misguided hope:
That the course of this life
Is free of violent strife
And follows a fantasy trope.

For my dog tries to slay
When he sees his prey,
Ever the alert household guard.
While the rabbit, voracious,
Increasingly audacious,
Consumes all things green in the yard.

Therefore my mentality
Meets the terms of reality:
An all-out cottontail war.
I tighten my belt,
Check the cards I’ve been dealt,
Prepare the board with a 0-0 score.

One point for the bunny
(Who thinks she’s being funny)
Starting out with a blitz.
With pleasure she’ll seize
A large chunk of the peas
Leaving a trail of nibbled bits.

One point for me
As I install (with glee)
A fine fence made of wire
To protect my greens
By any possible means.
Now the rabbit will definitely perspire!

Another point for the critter
Who’s never a quitter
And just needs some food to chew
She shimmies beneath
My protective wreath
To snack on the vegetables anew.

Next a point for the biped:
The rabbit, misled,
Noshes the tip of a chile.
With a tiny bleat
She feels all the heat
And retreats, looking really quite silly.

We battle it out
Each trying for a rout
Outwitting each other’s brains.
Until one morning
Without any warning
I find the bunny’s fluffy remains.

What happened to her?
Why does she no longer stir?
How did my enemy fall?
I’ll never know
What did in my foe -
A toxin, a contagion, a brawl?

I feel contradictory
About my final victory:
Happy, sad, and unglued.
Despite all the pain
That she caused, sun and rain,
She was only searching for food.

My malaise lasts until
I spy, eating my dill,
A small furry mouth - another?!
I know that she’s dead
But I recognize that head:
It’s the bunny’s much younger brother.