Opossums frequent here. Among the skunks
and squirrels and raccoons with ugly feet,
marsupials are found. They’re making bunks
beneath my porch and boardwalk: urban suite
of fauna sharing time beyond my door,
and not a problem looking for a fix.
I’ve had to deal with corpses twice before,
but ‘possums rid my habitat of ticks.

Admittedly they’re ugly: rat-like, slow
and skull-faced, dragging lumpy naked tails,
but never have I seen them vandalize
like squirrels, cats or ‘coons. Two days ago
I met one, omen-lucky in details –
a ‘possum white of fur and black of eyes.