the magistrates of destiny are powerless before me
i strut therefore
it is inherent to the principles of survival that
in light of the negotiated codicils
and civil and other penalties for preening feathering etc
that we mitigate
to an extent
after all it is some undetermined number of
decimals on the one hand
zeros on the other
what were we talking about
ach der dodo ja si claro
el dodo
a bird for all seasons
dressed to the nines with a jaunty look
of il pense je ne sais quoi in his eyes
at least in later years
the one without the patch
the dodo
let us consider the dodo
a native of mauritius we are told until
his investments all went south last seen
sad covered in sticky brownish discharge
and undistilled petroleum
the dodo lights please thenk yoo
here we see the last known nesting pair at play
happier times he proud confident
she coy a little naughty mr
henchley i am sure miss peterson isnt interested in that
put it away mr henchley thenk yoo so
the dodo
and le grand question that i am sure is on all your
henchley
miss garcia isnt interested either no
no mr henchley
no she isnt
(sigh)
the dodo
.
——
Peter McCann Ashton lives and writes in Conimicut, RI on the shores of Narragansett Bay, the cradle of American dissent.