i.
levitating turtle--
plastic toy found by curly girl
or a conquering saint?
ii.
we almost missed you, beach
bum turtle. what were you doing
alone at maumee bay?
iii.
brace yourself, turtle,
land dweller-- we'll take you to a
good home. no more sand.
salt encrusted plates
sift through the oceanic
untidiness. we
watch and listen as
you gobble and scoff about,
underestimat-
ing the immeasur-
ablity discovered
upon opening
your worldly corpse. found
inside: one tire, plenty of
krill, dirty linen,
fourteen blow up rafts,
eleven fully intact
ancient greek sculptures,
a schooner (no masts),
twenty ships in bottles, six
rusty propellers,
and four schoolchildren.
we began understanding
lives of whales: swim slow,
die old and never
eat the sail, because sometimes
they might not digest.
A friend of mine said,
“Do you believe in a life
After we are dead?”
I laughed at the dearth
of his intelligence, like
A boy of seven.
“My friend,” I replied.
“When I’m gone, there won’t be earth,
Let alone heaven.”
One more date, I said.
Two more kisses, three more nights.
You died around four.
tonight at thursday's
we made jake not human. his
mom thanked us and laughed.
When I seduce my
therapist, will he fire me
before I fire him?
Or should I fire him
first for seduction at my
hands: hot and guilt-free?
