Long ago he left me,
took another shape,
and still they blame
me for eating
hatchery raised perch
and relieving myself
on this sinking island
of three-legged frogs,
oil soaked waterfowl,
plastic lids and straws,
mats of blue-green algae, everywhere;
the strangely absent
insects
and spotted salamanders
displaced;
for once,
let’s talk erosion
of my coastline,
my sunken sailboat’s berthing,
don’t blame me for the two-legged’s
shadow,
I’ve just been hanging out here
in this graveyard of cottonwoods.
Poem by John Fritzell
John Fritzell is a Wisconsin based poet who lives in Appleton with his wife and dogs. His poems have appeared in numerous journals including Tiny Seed, Bramble, Plainsongs, Red Eft Review and Gray’s Sporting Journal.