At 6 a.m. one day last week, I heard
a thump outside the window where I sat.
I raised the shade to see what had occurred,
and spied a pair of ‘possums going at
it, either sex or play or argument.
The tail around the torso was a clue,
and interlocked white hissing muzzles went
to show what reproducing ‘possums do.

I watched a little from my wooden chair.
I saw the neighbor’s cat observe as well.
Each reposition sent a tuft of hair
aloft, a puff of grayish-white that fell
upon my porch. So now I’m thinking of
those tufts as evidence of ‘possum love.