Hamster in Your Head

[Withheld until publication.]

John K. Kruschke

First published in Bear Paw Arts Journal, Accepted for Issue 3, scheduled for the end of November, 2025. However, as of the end of March, 2026, Issue 3 has not been published. Repeated emails to the editor at different email addresses have received no responses. I have dutifully withheld posting the poem while it is pending publication…

Notes: This poem was intended as a simple invitation to poetry for the poem-curious. It is supposed to illustrate a few of the things poetry can do, in a compact and accessible stanza. Personification: The poem is a person (well, a hamster, but pet hamsters do have personalities). Metaphor: For example, “the sawdust of childhood memories”, and “the shredded paper of past loves.” Concrete bodily imagery: Hold the furry poem and let it scurry into your head; etc. Attention to the sounds of words, for example the alliteration in “soaking and squinting,” and “wiggling and warming.” And, the poem concludes with some classic poetic themes of loss and nostalgia.

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