HAMSTER BALL

By 
Gwen Austin
Copyright 1999


A hamster ball models
a miniature room,
a cocoon of clear plastic walls.
It offers freedom with bounds, 
yet safety from hounds.
To prevent falls,
this round
runs best on the ground.

As a room for one
there's plenty of fun,
rolling this way or that,
safe from the cat,
wandering one way or other,
choosing to hover,
or deciding at rest 
is best.

But it can be lonely.

At happy times of life
it's a boon for two.
Yet during turmoil and strife 
it certainly won't do.

Imagine the stress and duress
when one pushes one way
and the other another!

Perhaps this says it all--
A relationship mimics
life in a hamster ball.