[Table of Contents]

 

Tim Morris

THE ANTELOPE

The antelope arrived today
Wrapped in plastic skin.
His bones were made of copper
We made fireworks of him.

Rope in the antelope! Bear the flame
Burn the prairies to silt.
For to see the antelope struggle
Kick and disobey you
Will have touched the dark.
The smoke and the vessels
Are singing in the harbor
The antelope are singing:

Their undulating throats
Squealing an arcane melody
Protect the young, Hide the young
Oh! The antelope is a foolish creature.

In spring the fire flowers bear seedless fruits
And the antelope goes out to graze
A venom lingers in the plant parts
And their bones litter the savanna.

____

I wrote this poem on SimpleText, a computer program that turns text into speech. It gave me the creeps to hear a computer read a poem about stuffing an antelope with fireworks. But somehow funny? I got the idea from something I saw on TV. An elk, or some other horned quadraped, calling out to the herd.