"bleep sid toaves of peace," "boxing in the kitchen with the landlord," and "that deed is a star on the flag, for sure"
bleep sid toaves of peace
toad infection
or else doing an impression
like a beasting for the columbia
a glass nasty
eating pie on a tree stump
when along came my uncle
eating the earth one bite at a time,
using a cloud for a napkin
as a sun would explode
room for that in the big room after all
it makes sense if you capitulate to the arboretum
boxing in the kitchen with the landlord
this is the weird world
on the legs of beetles
after anaconda meal
one butching of it
every box is sick
with the cardboard flu
the sun was a wad of fire
with a beard and glasses
you could see the blue in there
read for the blind birds of prey
we will sink into the marsh slowly
then we will be a part of everything
that deed is a star on the flag, for sure
mars & earth, listen up!
this is the big dream
& we are returning using pyramid power
alerting insects to the impending houseguest status
learning all about guts & hard luck
watering the plants in the back room of the universe
the prismatic yes of the gulping shadow
I need to see the colors of the apples
red and green and yellow maybe a blue one for fun

J. D. Nelson (b. 1971) experiments with words in his subterranean laboratory. His poetry has appeared in many small press publications, worldwide, since 2002. He is the author of several collections of poetry, including Cinderella City (The Red Ceilings Press, 2012). His poem, “to mask a little bird” was nominated for Best of the Net in 2021. Visit MadVerse.com for more information and links to his published work. Nelson lives in Colorado. He recommends Defenders of Wildlife.