dignified rats

when i was 10
I watched my hamster run
Full speed towards the glass of his cage
The wheel turned rapidly
Beneath his paws 
He stopped
But the wheel took him for a ride
His body flailed in the belly of machine he once powered

Jenny told Forrest 
"Whenever you get scared 
Run 
Don't try to be brave, just run"
because Jenny was running too
We are all running 
Running from or towards ourselves

Later I would witness the hamster 
Defy the intended use of that wheel
He stuffed the bedding beneath it
It was stopped in its tracks 
A wrench had been thrown into its gears
He shakily scaled its sides and 
Over and out of the cage he went
​
That hamster was wiser than most men