White Ants

moldy duff sticks to rake tines

a shifted plant-less pot

swarms with white ants

 

moving at the speed of plants

I tip compacted soil into the lake

swollen from days of rain

 

imagine syrupy fish gulping

tiny bodies, while I prepare

a meal you will never eat

[RK, 11/12/2020]

 

 

Carriage (after Underground Rail)

I remember that train, welded to a length of track

next to a closed station, ticket master punching

constellations of prairie dog holes

 

your baggage thrown on the cart

antimacassars on your leather seat

a view of endless prairie territories

 

measured into perfectly square townships

long before you boarded, long before boarding

was a possibility

[RK, 11/12/2020]

 

 

Left Behind

 

the faded rose tattoo, injured joint, ligament

ligature, signature written with photographs

someone said I look like an angel when

asleep, awake

self-destructive rhythm takes hold

shaken like a rabbit in a dog’s jaws

pushing forward false narratives

[RK, 11/12/2020]