Advice on TV News: Pick Up Small Children
by Cleo Griffith
Yes, please do this when a mountain lion is near.
A lion in town means it is hungry.
That little child may look like lunch.
Also, do not run away.
Perhaps the lion only wants to play
and sees that movement as invitation
to a fine wrestle on the park grass.
Stand tall and noisy – yell and wave,
no, not motions toward you – toward the cat!
Pretend you are a big person, not five feet tall,
and that your squeaky voice is a foghorn.
If you have food with you, do not try to bribe.
This might insult the lion, who, after-all, IS a lion!
Remember, this is a solitary animal who does not like
company when dining, unless the company is the dinner.
Most of all,
pick up small children
who might be inclined to run towards the intruder, calling
“here, kitty, kitty, kitty …”
About the Poet
Cleo Griffith lives in California’s Central Valley, surrounded by almond trees, ground crops and poets. She is widely published in such journals as Main Street Rag, Straylight and Westward Quarterly. She has been on the editorial board of Song of the San Joaquin since it began in 2003.
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Photo is in the Public domain. Modified by Veronica McDonald.
