Hedid not choose
a snapping turtle
for a pet
and I will not lose
and Iwill not let
another day pass
without learning to swim
My concentrationkettle suppresses
a boiling appetite
a smiling steam
and his voiceundresses
and his touch redeems
a hungry anger
is never full
I'llthrow a nosebleed hissy fit
unfounded, though it will not quit
And even asI sleep
it refuses to rest
And even as I kill
it refuses to die
Hedid not sin
to deserve a taste
so bitterly strange
and I will notwin
and I will not change
unless I learn to control
thisdependency
My pleading prayer
for your coriander
your bergamot
And Iwish I could adore all
And I wish I could adore all
to awaken myeucalyptus
my peppermint
I think it was his innocence
that chose to facemy consequences
but I am grateful
with all that I am
to be a snappingturtle.