nurture nature

 

had I failed to identify the disco 

leaves of eucalyptus and the screaming neon 

of budgies in the palo verde

it would have left a lot to wallaby desire

its a joke about dead birds

a fake waterfall

caged marsupials

and the blue tongued skink

i shudder at the thought of the live python

i once held on my shoulders

to say that a muscle constricts

implies that it grows smaller

i feel the green scales

when i think about boston market chicken

shabbat candles 

and dancing for grape juice

the blood of my brother’s lip

when our blue budgie latched

and tore through his

complete bullshit

wish i saw the tongue

to prove the taxonomy of skinks

I still don’t kiss animals

unless I love them

without discipline

of love or theft

i stole a bell for my bird

tucked in my armpit

to say that he died of neglect

is to admit that florida is real

all zoos are cages

I was just a kid