B94
Public Record
Excerpt from novel: with Abandon

the forest floor,

all leaves and wet,
is tittering with beetles
so much so that if i let my eyes rest, unfocused,
i can see whole leaves quaking and crawling
on the backs of all these hungry kids.
there isn’t a point in space that isn’t moving
when i am unfocused.

i can hear them, little sizzling foragers bursting quietly
like some blossoming sauce pan,
diligently, all around me.
it is Contentment and Wholefullness.
i wonder how many of them i squished
as i plimp-plomped across the leaves
then laid down my rain coat
and hrumphed my monstrous body down
onto their families.
i wonder how many were crying out for loved ones
as i let out my grateful sigh and said aloud,
“this is perfect Peace.”

Frida Bilson