Counting Sheep

Counting Sheep
By Russell Edson

A scientist has a test tube full of sheep. He 
wonders if he should try to shrink a pasture 
for them. 
They are like grains of rice. 
He wonders if it is possible to shrink something 
out of existence. 
He wonders if the sheep are aware of their tininess, 
if they have any sense of scale. Perhaps they think 
the test tube is a glass barn ... 
He wonders what he should do with them; they 
certainly have less meat and wool than ordinary 
sheep. Has he reduced their commercial value? 
He wonders if they could be used as a substitute 
for rice, a sort of wolly rice . . . 
He wonders if he shouldn't rub them into a red paste 
between his fingers. 
He wonders if they are breeding, or if any of them 
have died. 
He puts them under a microscope, and falls asleep 
counting them . . .