An apple would be better
bitten down like the moon
to a crunchy nub
scored with greed
His lips flare in the air
from the fence of his teeth
and his tough tail flicks
where the flies stay
A carrot would be better
than these four-legged lines
that flee from me and never meet
any sweet little need
So we both might gallop
wild and away
A collection of Parker’s poetry, Long Division, will be published in 2012. He teaches at Davidson College and Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
