the side of the road

you hate
to see a dead cat
or dog
on the side of the street,
off the leash,
a collar
on. a runaway from
home.
careless out
on the open roads.
but with muskrats
it's different,
armadillos,
or squirrels, even
a bird
that flies into
your windshield,
a snake, perhaps,
you just don't have
that same
fuzzy sadness for them
and drive on
quickly
forgetting about it.