qarrtsiluni

by Eric Burke

A medium-sized Cooper’s hawk
rests on the fence behind our garbage cans.

I continue to set out seeds,
continue to clean the bath.

*

Before moving in
I salted the yard with vinegar.

Still, they grew.

My wife wanted a landscape artist
to harmonize the colors and scents.

I demurred.

We settled
for randomness.

*

Familiar objects (furnace, fridge) begin to shudder
each time they shut down.

I brace myself for the inevitability of reproach.

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Eric Burke works as a computer programmer in Columbus, Ohio. More of his work can be found in elimae, decomP, Camroc Press Review, qarrtsiluni, A cappella Zoo, and Weave Magazine. You can read his blog at anomalocrinus.blogspot.com.