The Ones That Stick

Velcro

A spiderweb woven

to snag unsuspecting flies

hovering over piles.

A net tossed out

to trap tricky fish

making their way to breed.

A t-shirt twisted

to soak up colorful ink

bleeding into new shapes.

A velcro mit worn

to hook sticky ideas

tossing back and forth.

Earworms

Excitedly entering, eating everything, echoing (echoing).

Egregious employees: eager, enduring;

earliest evil, equaled each evening.

Exit expected eventually (…entually).

Itchy

Can’t sit still, can’t keep going, can’t retreat, can’t advance,

can’t get comfy, can’t get cozy, can’t take off these itchy pants.

Hager Park Circus

The last act of the afternoon

played to a hushed crowd.

Suspended on silks,

we watched her work for awhile.

On Thirst

Whales thrive in unknown worlds,

traverse rolling waters,

and break the surface

on eager spouts of air.

Gray, blue, killer,

or otherwise,

live

simultaneously

swimming

and

sleeping,

flying

and

falling,

breathing

and

waiting,

the blurred margins

smaller than the krill

that sustain them.

Whales do not drink,

for they are the ocean,

gliding, as unconcerned

as

the sea

slipping

in

and

out

of

them.