Pet Rocks
2009
When I was young,
I always wondered
About kids
Who had rocks as pets.
Why? I’d ask myself.
If you can’t have a real pet,
There are alternatives:
Name a wild animal,
Find an insect,
Or nurse a plant.
After all, a rock can’t do anything.
Can’t run,
Can’t play,
Can’t respond,
Can’t sleep with you,
Can’t learn tricks,
Can’t be there for you.
But today I realized there are
Many other things a rock can’t do:
Can’t run away
Can’t bite,
Can’t ignore you,
Can’t get hurt,
Can’t get old,
Can’t die.
Maybe those kids with pet rocks
Were onto something.
If you have a pet that can’t die,
You never have to deal with death.
What better way to prolong your childhood?
I had a small baby rock. Her name was Rochelle. My best friend found the rock, I painted it. We shared custody. Every few days we handed her over to the other, along with her baby carrier, clothes and hair bows. We were terrible co parents. I kept forgetting her in my pocket and she got washed (thus, losing her paint job) and my friend’s home wasn’t conducive to raising baby rocks because she was chucked into the garden by her “aunt.” We were 3rd or 4th graders, so we really weren’t responsible enough to be mothers of small baby rocks.