We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind ... --Wm. Wordsworth Gumshoe duck Pigskin wrapping yellow webs Bound with halting happy steps Up high hills to tumble down; Yellow legs, reptilian skin, Catches light upon the scales. I lace my duck in gumshoes and her dry flat feet Go mudward making crepe-soled progress Among various puddles Till she, trying to swim, Is drowned. I release thin feet from fatal shoes, The feathered neck sadly limp, And little eyes snapped shut. Much later on in moonlight With feathered head and feet removed, I smell her humor in the flames And suck her hot brown flesh.