Two mites are copulating
on page 15
of Raymond Carver’s
Where Water
Comes Together
With Other Water
No bigger
than exclamation points
they are oblivious
to my mug
as they combine
on top of his lines
“She covers
his fingers
with kisses.”
In all societies
love is transitory—
so pleasure
your mate
before the page
is turned
and pressed
Mark Melnicove is the author of the broadside sheaf Foreign Policy, the postcard collection Advanced Memories, the children’s book Africa Is Not a Country (with Margy Burns Knight), and The Uncensored Guide to Maine (with Kendall Merriam). He has published, performed with, and made films about Bern Porter. A 45-year retrospective of his work in publishing and writing, “Word Art Collaborations,” was exhibited in 2015 at Bowdoin College. In 2017, Two Palms Press published Sometimes times, a call and response between his poems and Terry Winters’s prints. He teaches creative writing and permaculture at Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Maine. (updated 4/2017)