its surreal, sir1

              by Peter Roberts

the earth exhales quantities of flesh.
piebald jackboots —soft, warm, tender—
wander through the jungle
surreptitiously observed
by 7 domesticated oilbirds with bejewelled gorgets.
silverfish swim
among the leaves & sunbeams
in schools & singly; occasionally, an oilbird
extending its prehensile neck
ambushes, stilleto-quick, an unobservant
silverfish. darwin appears, suggesting changes
to the creator: "no, no, there are too many
loose ends. the jackboots dont fit
into the scheme of things, &
the existance of trees
can only be guessed at;   the leaves
are indistinct. you must be more meticulous.
next time we'll work on anatomy
&, physiology, & please
try to have a more
comprehensive taxonomy ready
with your next project."

¹ — © Copyright 1978 by Beyond Baroque Foundation. First published in beyond baroque 782, July 1978 (Vol. 9, No. 2 of Beyond Baroque Foundation Publications), p. 45.

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