Day: May 8, 2023

althaea blattariaalthaea blattaria

there is something inside myself
soft and sweet as fresh marshmallow
but somewhat more alive—

there it is
over in the corner
scuttering away by the baseboards
not in its persistence to be underestimated
it can in its reshaping shape itself from animal to plant
like a weed grown out of the spot where a cockroach was crushed underfoot
such a mess—there!

wth this strap-cutter and its single-edged blade,
i can excise this thing
it will take only a few deft strokes to remove

(Copyright 2023 by Tetman Callis.)

safetysafety

someone has been in my back yard

from my kitchen window i can see where the razor wire
has been pulled from off the rickety fence

there is no protection
no way of staying safe

not even if i posted signs that read
there is nothing here but fear and empty husks

anyway
that would be a lie

(Copyright 2023 by Tetman Callis.)

“Truly my own body being sickly, brought me easily into a capacity, to know that health was the greatest of all earthly blessings, and truly he was never sick that doth not believe it.” – Nicholas Culpeper, The Complete Herbal