The Bumpkin and the Bobcat

As a result of a curious defect of the retina
he saw the bobcat as a bicycle.
He spotted it
moving very fast
dodging birches and alders,
whizzing off left,
whirring into sight
in a stand of second growth wood,
bell screaming.
It is recorded that he remained unmoved,
chewed slowly & thoughtfully
on a wad of spruce gum.
Reluctantly
he put aside his thought
of the charms of the girl
in last night’s movie —
And so
as it sped past him
for the eighth time
he jumped,
braked it to a panting halt.
The frame
buckled in a dozen
places; it slowly
shrank, making small mechanical
noises like insects,
scraping and
burrowing,
as it disappeared down a
hole at the
foot of an aged
cedar.