HONOR THE JURORS

 

HONOR THE JURORS

         "For some reason everything about him was white: his 

            new birch-bark shoes had not had time to grow dark..."

               --On Bachus Iron Belly, Doctor Zhivago

        Angels in China! Can’t you hear I’m talking to you?

            Old man, Doctor Zhivago

No jury duty today.

Walk the half-mile block.

Turn fountain on.

The tiniest bugs and spiders

are attracted to the white pages

of a book. Whether it’s morning

or afternoon, sitting under

trees in the garden, a small

spider will catch my eye,

walking its many steps,

drawing my attention

away from words

towards ink and the peculiar

architecture of letters.

The tiny spider is only

interested in the light.

It cannot be otherwise.

Jim Bodeen

1-2 July 2024