I made a starfish
out of sugar
It’s here on the table
trying to scurry away

Scurry it will not
but it leaves me still.
Piece by piece –
Grain by grain –
especially when I move – or breathe

But, here it is for now
White – like new socks
and grainy
As I remember the texture
of a starfish to be

But I don’t dare pet my
Starfish!
He’ll die –the worst death
He’ll become a mere
Messy pile of cane sugar

– dust to dust –

My starfish
will have a short life span
I know –
But for now he is a fine companion
Quiet, loyal – sweet – fragile
and as dreamy as I

He makes these
hours-long minutes
Go by –

– Starfish, Starfish
laying white
Do you have
Any plans tonight –

I feel a sneeze coming on-
I might as well make it useful
My time is up – so is that of my starfish
If I left him here – he’d be lonely

Anyway – a a ch o o–…

© L. Rose 3/3/91 2:05 pm

(Note: I actually did this (except for the sneeze)

***

I wrote this in college at the Union (cafeteria) sitting by myself at one of the round lunch tables. I remember the whole thing, as you may have noticed, I actually not only dated the blasted thing, but for some reason bothered to record the time.

These kinds of poems are fun to write, though moments like this, sitting – undisturbed – and doing something so silly or odd as to take the time to shape a random pile of sugar into a shape…are rare… that might be a good thing.

Anyway, thanks for reading! ~ Linda