if you were me

I’ve got to admit I get puffy with pride
But if you were me, wouldn’t you too?
No matter how much I get pestered and bribed,
I keep to myself what I do.

I look nothing special but that’s just the thing:
My looks should give nothing away.
I’m stellar at feigning indifference - you’d think
I wasn’t completely awake.

Accustomed to dealing with serious risk,
Effective, efficient and calm,
I’m not here to frolic – I’m here to frisk
And rapidly raise the alarm.

No nasties can sneak past my talented nose,
No meanies can fool me – full stop.
The tiniest sniff instantaneously shows
The bottom concealed by the top.

I love the enigma that goes with the work:
The smells are exotic and sharp.
They make me imagine a treacherous world
With creatures like tigers and sharks.

Not always – sometimes it’s a welcoming smell
Like truffles or rare spotted frogs.
I’ll tell you a secret: my vigilance melts
A bit - but my discipline rocks.

And if you were me, you could easily choose
To ditch what was boring you stiff
And move to a world with no bags and no shoes.
I lower my nose and sniff.


(Sniff the Flowers by Roger Wedegis)