MiPo Poetry Board Best of 2002

El Escape del Loro
(12 Word Challenge)

Prefiero la muerte, the parrot says,
as his owner drives away.
He is off to do the hustle on
unsuspecting clients, and
perhaps a barmaid.

The VCR is set to continuous play:
The Magnificent Seven or
Nebraska Football Highlights ,
designed to saddle
the poor parrot's mind
into redneck submission,
force him to recite anal remarks
for the rest of his days.

Sour coffee grounds assail the parrot's senses.
His dreams of coconuts and juniper berry snacks
help levitate his cage
high above city sidewalks.
He soars as if clipped-wings
could fly to freedom,
escape to jungles
never seen but felt
somewhere in his soul.