Haven’t seen a raccoon in my neighborhood for decades.
Not quite sure how to measure that.
When I moved in twenty plus years ago
I’d see a beady-eyed monster
every now and again.
I was shocked.
“Raccoons don’t belong in New York City,” I thought,
but the evidence proved me wrong.

Now, though further history has proved my thought
more like I thought.
I haven’t seen hide nor hair of a critter
except on a Marvel screen
in quite some time.
Not sure how to measure that, either.

Is the neighborhood on the upswing?
Downswing? Midswing? Spincycle?
Just don’t know.