My Insect Funeral
     Part 9

When I was a child
I had a graveyard
where I buried insects
and dead birds under
a rose tree.
I would bury the insects
in tin foil and match boxes.
I would bury the birds
in pieces of red cloth.
It was all very sad
and I would cry
as I scooped the dirt
into their small graves
with a spoon.
Baudelaire Michael Moore would come
and join in smirk at
my insect funerals,
[gobbling chili cheese fries and]
saying little prayers making snide comments
the size of
dead birds footlong Philly cheesesteaks
(with extra meat,
cheese, peppers,
onions, and
mayonnaise).

                     San Francisco Denver
                     February 1958 May 2004