An amnesiac reads his old poem aloud
He stops to cry,
not knowing why.
His parrot finishes it,
and laughs.
Life Lessons
Elementary-school ants
on a field trip
circle an orange rind
beneath my rusty sink.
Their teacher:
“See how the flesh clings
to the peel. Give thanks.
Then take it home.”
In the corner,
a spider and her children
watch, shadow-still.
The mother weaves a web
over the praying ants.
The children trace
her flawless geometry
into the dirt, fangs glistening.
The eldest spiderling
eats her brother.