Lots of animals leave their young
in a safe place while they lead predators away.
Foxes deposit their kits in thickets,
cheetah cubs are marked like savannah grasses,
baby bears are indistinguishable from brambles,
so that when they are left, the carnivorous cannot
locate them.
Some mothers plan ahead,
lead their cubs to a grate that was once
a fireplace in their new home, a grate
that leads to a shelf in the garage,
one that would fit an eleven year old
and a four year old comfortably.