title: the obligatory garnish argument
author: Meg Ronan
description: Meg Ronan's poems have appeared in <em>1913: a journal of forms, APARTMENT Poetry, Big Lucks, Boog City, Everyday Genius, Interim, SpringGun, West Wind Review</em>, &amp; other lovely journals. She works as a shop girl at Bridge Street Books in Washington, DC.
zlib_text: ![](Images/image00029.jpeg)
  
  ![](Images/image00027.jpeg)  
  
  _For Sarah,_  
   _who gallantly took the Seat Perilous_
  
  ![](Images/image00028.jpeg)  
  
  **T** hese were the rules. Some visitors could see her, if Ronan said it was
  all right, and some visitors could not see her, if Ronan told her to make
  herself scarce, and no visitors were allowed to see her hooves.
  
  She was not to eat anything that was inside the house unless it was given to
  her, even if it was something that sounded good while she chewed it, like
  cardboard boxes or plastic serving utensils, and in particular she was not to
  eat anything of Adam’s or from Aurora’s bedroom and if she did, she would be
  punished. She was not supposed to call Ronan _Kerah_ because he had a name and
  she was perfectly capable of forming any word she liked, unlike Chainsaw, who
  only had a beak. She was allowed to climb on nearly anything except for the
  cars because hooves were not good for metal and also her hands were always
  very grubby. She did no