HOLY ERROR

If you truly believe that God created
every creature individually, it is all
His intelligent design, then why the apple
in the Garden, and why both crocs
and alligators, wouldn’t one have
been sufficient, and why, just why
have mosquitoes at all, ever?

I won’t bother asking why God gave
us free will, since you say He will
punish us if we use it other than
as He directed, and you know the
directons better than anyone.

For that matter, why termites
and fire ants, alternative purposes
seem wholly lacking, and above all,
and beyond all logic and even
beyond omniscience, what in the name
of God was He thinking when
He created the politician?

ALLIGATOR TEARS

Despite my admittedly limted efforts
I still fail to understand why
people here have fallen so in love
with plastic shoes, and more so,
why they are called Crocs
and feature a crocodile on the package.

I know one species of croc
does inhabit this country, but almost
exclusively in South Florida,
where alligators are far more prevalent.

And in any event, if anyone
in Niwot, Colorado happens upon
a crocodile wandering about
they should definitely capture it
because Boulder County could use
another tourist attraction.

THE POND

Along the shore
of the pond wishing
it was a lake,
the anhinga proudly
shows off the small fish
that will be his
mid-morning snack.

The egret finds
this show of ostentation
abhorrent and returns
to her search
for bugs on the reeds
fringing the shore.

The alligator swims
lazily off shore
hoping we will
soon pass, and
considers whether
he wants only to sun,
or if an anhinga would
make a good meal.