sloak now
that lost angler west of the dream
why is there a lion in the clean air, floating?
we reshoed the moon that afternoon
a phantom sound
the milk was pink
the same earth bones
to sing the frog wind of the window
the creature needing the salt for the first time
to make a simple why
it was a cold box of the corn
the alien bread
a crawling crumb
one of those winning hands from the poker game
there exists a second moon
were you in the dust, rusting?
a slithering hush
not a real turtle, but a machine
the open earth opera
the sun was a friend of the other stars
the burd makes his home in the rocks
that faster “yes” from across the room
we named it after neil armstrong
the midnight yodel of yo-dell the decca (the right to warm a tortoise)
the hamlet of pigging
the plate of snouts
the coal-fired goose of the warm hark
now a blustery hum
a special effort to clone up
a non-pathetic choice of vegetable
a living being sporting the nacho pants
your gold luck was too good for the ghost
J. D. Nelson (b. 1971) experiments with words in his subterranean laboratory. His poetry has appeared in many small press publications, worldwide, since 2002. He is the author of several collections of poetry, including Cinderella City (The Red Ceilings Press, 2012). His poem, “to mask a little bird” was nominated for Best of the Net in 2021. Visit http://MadVerse.com for more information and links to his published work. Nelson lives in Colorado.