Featured Writer: Pete McKechnie

By Raja's Insight on May 11, 2019 • ( 1 )

The Rats

From ‘neath a bush they emerged.
Three rats, each gripping in their mouths
A straw, or stick, too long ago to remember.

The two on the edges
Were forthright, a mission clear,
While the one in the middle
Seemed tentative, but willing to follow.

To a water source they walked.
The two on the edges stood guard
As the middle one drank,
And it was then that I realized
That the middle one was blind.

Back to and ‘neath the bush they disappeared.
And me, left wondering.
When two rats can lead a blind companion to water,
Standing guard as it drinks,
How is it so difficult for us at times
To show that level of humanity
For those less fortunate than we?

About the Author

Many years ago, Pete McKechnie found an interest in short fiction while attending UMCP. At that time, Poetry was not the venue of choice. That changed in the mid ‘90’s, when poetry became his chosen form of expression. He has always been most at home within the natural world, and it is the natural world which brings much of his inspiration for writing. Many years of studying and teaching Shamanic meditation deepened his connection, and influences most of his writings. Pete McKechnie currently lives in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, where silent walks through the forest and around his ponds bring both connection and inspiration.

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