bird bones, dig me a
grave, make me a treasure chest
where my lungs ought to be
and hide away all your
secrets, falling overhead
leaves in the fall;
you have no idea, i tell you,
what's underfoot--
hollow earth, hollow skull.
you say,
don't smile like that.
you're making me nervous.

****** mutt, throw trash through
the television, screaming
sports fanatics. never watched
this game before. unfamiliar rules.
it's all in the uniforms, bird bones.
don't let them
freak you out, peaked blue caps
oily lips confirm:
"investigation underway."
turn that noise down.

i'll build us a house underwater
if you open the door,
don't blame me when you drown.
parka with
the hood up;
can't stay away from the trees,
even in this weather,
always outdoors, always checking,
to be sure.
don't look at me like that, bird bones.
haven't you ever seen a dead body before?