A Mad Gardener’s Murmur
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He thought he saw a Can of Paint Kicked Over in the Holler: He looked again, and found it was His shadow, playing Mahler. “A busker once removed,” he sighed— And gave himself a dollar.
He thought he saw a Sheet of Glass Come crashing through his dreams: He looked again, and found it was Two-thirds of the Supremes. “Diana, baby, where’d you go? This world’s not what it seems.”
He thought he saw a Different Life, With laughs around the clock: He looked again, and found it was A worn-out Tennis Sock. “The joke’s on me—again, again,” He whispered to his Glock.
He thought he saw a Taco Bell In flames on Route 14: He looked again, and found it was The ghost of Edward Gein. “Most sources call him ‘Ed,’” he said— Decamping from the scene.
He thought he saw a Trader Joe’s Atop a Live Volcano: He looked again, and found it was [End Page 102] A thimbleful of Drano. “It won’t be near enough,” he said; “I’ll pick up more in Plano.”
He thought he saw a Glassy-Eyed King Cobra in a Cage: He looked again, and found it was Well, something hard to gauge. “It’s tied, I think, to winter, and To darkness, and to age.” [End Page 103]
CODY WALKER is the author of two poetry collections: The Self-Styled No-Child (Waywiser, 2016) and Shuffle and Breakdown (Waywiser, 2008). He lives in Ann Arbor, where he teaches English at the University of Michigan.
