MacDonald's by Night

"Some places are pitch black"
Deserted by other children 
The darkened playroom confronts The Kid

"I must be supervised"
By which he means 
Protected from the powers of darkness 

The would-be supervisor 
In turn is confronted
With tight tunnels and tiny staircases 
And an accumulated coating
Of kiddy grime
Which doesn't bother the Kid.

He is unamused by pulling of scary faces 
From within the labyrinth's cramped atrium 
But instead requires illumination for his explorings
From a torch he has handy.

Disappointed that he must proceed alone
For reasons of size and stature 
Exhorting "Try! Try!"
Yet he goes bravely forward. 
Crawling through intestinal convolutions
Lit up as much as possible by the torchlight 

Up into the high reaches of the system 
Sliding finally down a long tube and out
Through a slippery exit passage 

This is a prototype 
Of a non-living carnivore 
With which we can peacefully coexist 
Relatively unscathed
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025

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