Finalist
Nothing to see here.
Pine cones litter
the gutters.
Whose turn is it
to blow on the mirror,
mama?
*
Each pushes forward
in her wild eagerness
to take part
in a ritual.
‘Is this that thing
about fireflies?’
Maybe.
*
We use similes to show
things are connected –
and they are,
just not in the ways we say.
*
A hole in fresh dirt
surrounded by orange cones
into which
a crow peers,
hops sideways,
then peers again.
*
‘These wildlife finalists
will take your breath away.’
Startle Reflex
1
Ford’s robodogs
roam the factory floor
and enjoy a good
belly-rub.
*
People are startled to discover
that their inner monologues
are ghost-written.
*
A sentence that once made sense
and now does not
appears haunted.
*
Experts are surprised to learn
sparrows across North America
have changed their tune.
*
‘Let’s just make it to the end.’
2
Everyone’s riveted
by the shock
of the disaster victims,
the way they search
for words.
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