Mary Buchinger

Last night I prayed the trees’ prayer

  and the trees came
to live with me
crown canopy bower
through my living room
my kitchen a forest
yes they brought beetles
ravens and the north wind
but I was glad of them
pulsing with leaves
Deliver us prayed the trees

Ants on the Windowsill 

Two ants touch antennae
as they appraise 
the body of a dead ant

how to carry it?
where to put this body? 

they have to decide
together 

with the dead ant length-wise
between them
they face each other

each lifts one end
then walks sideways
holding it off the ground 

they maneuver it
to the space between
the screen and sill
and set it down 

they rest a sec
catch their breath
then hoist the body
into the air 

slipping it
into a crevice
away from the public eye

Back to Issue XII…