Treats
We traffic in treats here
Little bribes
Dog off the sofa
Cat off the table
Small triumphs
Or because it's Tuesday 

The cows used to come
For sweet grass
After fence mending lapsed
And the deer
For a safe snack
During the season of guns 

The turtles and groundhogs
Feast on tomatoes
And the young black bear
Sat on the porch eating birdseed
Can't blame them
For liking treats, too 

And you, little one,
Petite, upturned nose,
Nearly all white, just a thin black stripe
Standing, sniffing at the screen door
On a warm harvest night
I closed the pet door just in case 

You deserve your treats, too
Compost on the back porch
Won't leave it there again
It'll be in the pile out back
Just by that dent in the fence
No one will surprise you there