In Praise of the Insects that Remain Hidden in the Grass by J. Estanislao Lopez

In Praise of the Insects that Remain Hidden in the Grass

by J. Estanislao Lopez

published in LEON Literary Review, Issue #18: Poetry, 2020

A wren fetches one last serving of insects in the yard as dusk stirs competing appetites.

Some insects attempt to fly away not knowing they’ve played themselves

straight into the wren’s mouth; others stay hidden under damp knots of grass.

I rise from my chair, where I had been making a meal of my regrets. I leave

the wet shelter of shame, spreading wings of self-forgiveness. I mistake the blankness

of the air for freedom.