Today a bunny hopped across my deck
and paused to peer in through the window
My husband was at the stove, stirring hot chocolate,
and that’s what the bunny saw
presumably

Then away it hopped,
down six steps,
down three more,
into and across my back yard,
to the tree-shaded side garden,
where it stopped for a nibble

It’s spring,
season of birth and rebirth,
and I fear my bunny was a she looking for a place to nest
a safe spot for babies

My deck doesn’t strike me as a good place for this
but I’m not a rabbit
and who knows
maybe the deck was just a pathway
connecting two more interesting places

Rabbit births make no sense to me
The rabbit prefers an open space,
let’s say the middle of an open yard
which strikes me as awfully exposed
downright risky
especially in a world with dogs

So every spring we try to remember
to venture outside cautiously
lest we disturb a birthing process
and scare a mom away from newborn kits

Maybe that’s what this backdoor visit was about
Just a friendly neighbor
letting us know her time is near
and we should take care