Ephemera

illustration by Cindie Flannigan

A snail on a mushroom
A cricket in a wall
A tern on a dime
A toad in a hall

A child in a garden
A tree on a hill
The rain on the rooftop
The wind in the mill

Wherever they came from
And why,
And how,
They all have a place
At least for now.

Ophelia’s Fed Up

the Further Misadventures of Ophelia Plum

Ophelia’s fed up with calendars and clocks,
with appointments and deadlines,
with tickings and tocks.
And do this right now
and be there in an hour,
and you’ve only ten minutes
for your twenty minute shower.

“Starting right now
(or next week, I don’t care)
I’ll do what I want
WHEN I want—
that seems fair.
I’ll get up at noon—
if I get up at all—
I might go to work,
I might go to the mall.
I’ll have a late breakfast
sometime after dinner;
if I can’t make the race
I’ll declare myself winner.
I’ll convert all my friends
to my clock-free zen,
and we’ll have us a time
’til who knows when!”
So she’s throwing a party…
“It’ll start right at eight!”

Now Ophelia’s fed up
‘Cause everyone’s late.