indeed, the whimsy is’t bright
upon the water
(the bay)
creatures of comfort
creatures of pain
crawl restless under the skin
a lock-jawed bull
ferret of flame & levity
shrimps & weasels
a badger at the brow
group discontent in
the orca pod
having lived & lived, seemingly
incessantly—the not stopping
that’s impressive
irredeemable whimsy (again)
a purposeless express of joy
next to a purposeful expression of pain
deep in the guts
a shudder, a growl, hoisting up
fifty years ago there was no
tunnel tube under the bay
mean to say, even guts are temporary
have lingered out of curiosity
& stubbornness
cranking out an absurdity
into a crowd of absurdities
damask rose
chloroform
galadriel
epistemology
rapturous stinging mystery
strike “life” from every line
replace with mystery
Copyright © 2023 by Lindsey Boldt. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on August 9, 2023, by the Academy of American Poets.