A Survivor's Tail
Darwin's theory
Out of the woods, you stumbled upon me
Hungry, alone, trepidatious your plea
Caution the rule, understood, I agree
Summer cements the contract, no fee
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Regular meals, you garner from me
Still lean and alone, not yet trustworthy
I continue our pact, sustenance, free
Autumns reprieve, fresh start, healthy
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Survival conditional, shelter from me
Box, insulation, on the porch, under eave
Fresh hay for your bedding, no luxury
Winter, brutal, your cover, rudimentary
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Warmer days, you arrive, babies, three
Nature prevails, nowhere to flee
Life changing, budding unpredictably
Spring brings promise, responsibility
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Your family safe, survival carefree
Not aware of the changes ahead for me
Spent days with your charges so happily
Summer, another, my life affects thee
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No help finding homes for you or for me,
I spin my wheels, frantic, relentlessly
No shelters, no takers, nothing I see
No reprieve, no saviour, hard reality
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Back out in the woods, I decree
a home constructed for you and your three
Assuaging my conscience, caring for thee
Torn down by my ex, despite my plea
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Lives deconstructed, you and your three
Mine now haunted, you're waiting patiently
Now Auschwitz survivors, never quite free
The love you acquired, abandoned by me
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Although I live on, I am not free
Despite my best efforts, nightmares plague me
No fault of your own, sweet victims of humanity
I cannot forgive nor forget my own fallibility
