Junior National Treasure Cemetery

in case you are promiscuous / or merely forgetful

I’ve carved your name on half the trees

of this burnt forest / to help you find home

whether you arrived umbilical / or toothing through an egg

exploit your former form / for the larger culture

everywhere I smell scorched

meat I would not have eaten / even if cooked perfectly

the stench grabs my throat and shakes

bodies walk out of hospitals / emptying the nurses’ tip jars as they go

unless you’re Edward Gorey / don’t tell us too early

that there’s arsenic in the pudding

we’re willing to pay extra / for a little more suspense