The Flea Circus
I never noticed while the music played
it was a little world a man had made
to fool another little man like you
because the fleas had better things to do.
The Balloon Animal
The party-pooping paradox consisted
of how I came from nothing that existed,
and couldn’t be myself till I was twisted.
Ed Shacklee is a public defender who represents young people in the District of Columbia. He is working on a bestiary.