FEATURE
PIGS Timir Banerjee , MD
We have a few pigs Some are named and some others are not I won ’ t talk about the ones that are not named They are for eating .
Elvis and Priscilla are unique to us Cause we never had pet pigs before this
Elvis weighs about sixty pounds Priscilla is little less They make funny noise as they walk around They eat grass They have separate pools to swim to get out of summer heat
One is blue and the other is pink They always know their own when they get in .
They love grapes They sit and eat from our hands They prefer the seedless kind .
As soon as they get out of their house in the morning they run to the plum tree
Cause they figured out that the plums are free They always fall in the night on the ground And they are easy to find .
As I sit down to watch them play They know that kissing is healthier than a handshake So they come over and nudge on my foot And plop down
For me to rub their belly and they fall asleep while I give them attention .
I bought a backscratcher so I don ’ t have to bend down I can enjoy a cold one While they sleep in the envelope of my affection .
Hector and Athena live next to the house of Elvis and Priscilla
Every so often Hector displays his full feathers and a colorful dance for Athena
Elvis watches while lying on his side and Priscilla has her head on his belly .
Moses comes running from the woods for a drink I always have a bucket of water filled to the brim .
He dislodges the porcine couple and stands next to me with saliva dripping from his tongue
He is the big boy and they move knowing that he is claiming the turn .
The couple goes strolling through the apiary garden Being careful not to disturb the bee haven
They walk through Aster and creeping Charlie but stand among the milkweeds
Where butterflies adorn the blades They root with their snout They don ’ t know the power of their pout
That can dig dirt and the disc in their nose that can sense without a fout .
They are youthful and playful together He leads and she follows Soon enough he will learn that is not the way it works in life To be without strife
With time the female will become in charge of all the happenings in life
The male will become accepting and happy just being around and doing everything
There will be no gripe Just joyful poetry of life as we survive
Priscilla knows the way God designed it to be .
Dr . Banerjee is a clinical professor of neurosurgery at the University of Louisville .
Affection is an expensive commodity In a farm Where time is limited and everyone needs a bit of loving Cause no one likes to feel as though they are always working .
FEBRUARY 2022 21