The Rabbit Trap

/ Rae Cod 
Jack rabbit reached his peak
At the grand old age of three
Leaping past the other young bucks
Ascending the summit of hierarchy
Yet these heights weren’t high enough for young Jack
A propitious visionary
Jack had a knack for selling dreams
To the rest of the colony

He imagined a life for his fluffle
With machines that would do all the work
From the base of their lowly warrens
They would build skyscrapers that towered on earth
The zenith of civilisation
They need live in the dirt no more
Open clean spaces, safe from fox chases
All they need do is to open the door

He painted a picture that stoked a fire
In the depths of the rabbits below
More time to spend with loved ones
More space to watch them grow
Less toil to break their backs
More freedom for them to choose
"Who would stand in the way of such progress?" he asked,
"What have you got to lose?"

So the rabbits brought into being
The dreams that lived in Jack’s mind’s eye
The machines came first, then the buildings
Rising higher and higher up to the sky
But no matter how tall the structure
It was always too short for Jack
Time ticked by in the comfort of the sky
But Jack’s vision was fading to black

Safe and sound in a trap of his making
It hit Jack like a ton of bricks
In chasing the sky he’d forgotten
What it is that makes rabbits tick
He itched for the feel of the dirt
The satisfaction of a job well done
The hubbub and chat of the tunnels
Days that were shared with every one

Together the rabbits painted a picture
Of where they should go from here
Gifted the high-rise to nesting birds
Returned to their place in the bio-sphere
Kept their machines to help with the digging
Gained more time for play and rest
But never again forgot the traditions
Of the life that suited them best.

And what of Jack and his seat at the top?
He had found it a lonely place to be
Now in harmony with the herd 
He grew into age with community.

I didn’t know a group of rabbits could be called a fluffle until I researched for this rhyme, what a cute word; fluffle. I first posted this rhyme in July 2022. It’s still one of my favourites and seemed appropriate to repost on an Easter Sunday.

Speaking of favourites, I’m trying to pick some of my poems to work on for a writing retreat in a couple of weeks, but I’m stumped, there are so many! Do you have any favourites among my Sunday rhymes? Let me know if you do, I could use some help narrowing things down.

I’m going on a lot of courses at the moment, so I’m moving to posting fortnightly for a while. Catch you in a couple of weeks.

13 thoughts on “The Rabbit Trap”

  1. This is a wonderful poem, Rae, and perfect for Easter! I love that a group of rabbits is a fluffle! It’s the perfect word. I don’t envy you the job of choosing poems for your retreat – that would be so difficult!

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  3. Wonderful poem with a great message, as always, Rae! Thanks for teaching me “fluffle”! That’s so perfect for a group of furry cute bunnies! (I recently learned that a group of ravens is called an unkindness… interesting but not very cute or heartwarming.)

    I love all your poems but off the top of my head, I’d pick the one I quoted back to you recently, about how we make the meaning. And the divine in the design.🐞

    Have fun at the writing retreat… I’m sure it will be enlightening and enriching!

    P.S. I’m sitting in Heathrow awaiting my final leg, home to Manchester!

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    • Welcome home Melanie, hope you had good travels.

      An unkindness of ravens does seem bit unkind, I love ravens, they’re always chatting.

      Thank you, that’s a poem to add to the list! ☺️

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  4. Thank you! Everything went smoothly and now in the necessary throes of jet lag but with nothing pressing to do except lounge around recovering.

    I love ravens too and your comment about the name being unkind made me laugh! Ravens, lots of them and daily, are the ONLY bird I saw in Fairbanks in the 3 months I was there. I feel a real connection with them.

    Best of luck choosing your fave poems; follow your instincts. They won’t lead you astray.

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    • Thanks Melanie ☺️ Glad you’ve got some time to recover.

      I feel like I’ve got car lag from travels this week (if that’s even a thing) & really should be doing some work… but first another cuppa ☕️ 😘

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