That Little Beast by Mary Oliver

That Little Beast 

That pretty little beast, a poem,has a mind of its own. 
Sometimes I want it to crave apples but it wants red meat. 
Sometimes I want to walk peacefully on the shore 
and it wants to take off all its clothes and dive in. 

Sometimes I want to use small words and make them important 
and it starts shouting the dictionary, the opportunities. 

Sometimes I want to sum up and give thanks, putting things in order 
and it starts dancing around the room on its four furry legs, laughing and calling me outrageous. 

But sometimes, when I'm thinking about you, and no doubt smiling, 
it sits down quietly, one paw under its chin, and just listens