By MELVIN LI
The surface of water, when disturbed, erupts outward—
Fleeing harmoniously in a perfect ring.
The omniscient, efficient, and delicious mountain below
Leaps up as if to catch the falling star. Hundreds of millions
Of years led to billions of patient mouths, but only
The few dozen under the treat can enjoy the best of the day’s prize.
Still others nearby rush to the site and demonstrate
The opposite of the rippling effect, creating a small hill
On the side of the teeming mound.
Guano, nectar of the heavens, is all the tiniest nymph
Ever needs. But even the oldest mother alive
Is always glad for a visit to the factory of a lifetime
Of sweets. Nothing can replace flesh and passion—
The lustful motions of countless mouthparts
Make skeletons of small mammals in a matter of hours.
True kissing, however, is for asses, which when rubbed
Together on occasion, Yield more young eaters for company.
These grow upon the rising mountain, shedding
Their shells and learning the best drop zones on the slope.
The six-legged tubes live to share, eating shit and
Shitting for others to eat. When finished they simply rest
And are often swallowed up by neighbors. The rejected
Join the skeletons underneath thickening layers of life,
Lust, and litter to be crushed to dust.
There is no progress unless one goes by mound height
Which in theory should rise with the Screeching ceiling.
Otherwise there is the cycle of corpse-eating that
Leads to corpses. The essence of a single being,
After being eaten, moved, and eaten may make its way
Around the entire cave in a few generations.