DIBATAG
an extinction
once we fell for “lemony freshness”
smell enforces norms
preen now
skewer “so profesh”
spunk—no recluse
lover of pores
open open preserve
eons’ envelopes
frozen corpses—parcels of once
our cells our lockers we use for self’s school
no rescue for poor lessons
so numerous our expenses
chrome only one
we screens
KOALA
an extinction
different fires require different fixes
wetness isn’t it every time
did Muir grieve missing species’ preceding densities—
see their missingness the edges’ misgivings
perceive the un-
quinces didn’t preserve
residues extend remembering—the tide
venturing in, the drying spume
its spine the spirit vein deveined deemed excess
we experienced judgment when wind whipped us
meted mischief by describing—
fruit is a tree’s sequins
ruined by the bite
who isn’t though
(get even, Eve)
is this triggering
this being minted by suffering
the minute (but this isn’t time—try twice) the minute
the determining mini
teensy thing the seeming
SEROW
an extinction
animalizing a day by giving it a hump a day aping land an aging hill
humanizing a villain by handing him vital liquid actually bidding him, “maintain”
liquidating light a blacklight making appalling an agitating fact hacking it
pinching data’s flab a fallacy a lullaby failing to lull
calamity—haughty kin that ixnay making annual a unifying
kin that gladly milk that humanity gland a tacky caulk
aiding a damming a damning filling a fault in an adult a guilt
but a happy vault habitual pillaging built up
cannibalizing any living thing lack-binging
Xanadu a dividing habitat a gill-blank halibut a half-fib
PANGOLIN
an extinction
three servers query my druthers my druthers, huh?
heck, serve us cucumbers Tex-Mex zest the secret reserves
surf my turf effed by the eddy busted
utter bummer sewer us
the desserts we deserve
the system’s buddy severed try the rescue
try the butter the crème
the wretched retch the rest eke by beset by fee-free fetters
Kristi Maxwell is the author of seven books of poems, including My My (Saturnalia Books, 2020); Realm Sixty-four, editor's choice for the Sawtooth Poetry Prize; Hush Sessions editor's choice for the Saturnalia Books Poetry Prize; and Re-, finalist for the National Poetry Series. She's an associate professor of English at the University of Louisville.