Breath & Shadow
March 2008 - Vol. 5, Issue 1
"Nikki" and "Bathroom Visitor"
written by
Michael Lee Johnson
"Nikki"
Watching doves
peck away,
all day long at
a full bowl
of mixed seeds,
out on the balcony,
the cat curls
up on the sofa,
after a meager
meal of house flies,
and dreams of
sparrows with
wide soaring
wings.
"Bathroom Visitor"
A horsefly
travels the world
of my bathroom.
Stops at the kitty litter box
on occasion for refueling.
One thousand round trips
including the bathtub area,
and buzzes past the toilet bowl.
Steady pilot, good mileage.
Frequent flier miles.
I swat his journey to an
abrupt end.
Michael Lee Johnson is a poet and freelance writer, from Itasca, Illinois. He is the author of The Lost American: From Exile to Freedom. He has also published two chapbooks of poetry. He has been published in USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, Turkey, Fuji, Nigeria, Algeria, Africa, India, United Kingdom, Republic of Sierra Leone, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia. He is also publisher and editor of four poetry/flash fiction sites — all presently open for submissions: Birds by Window, Poetric Legacy, A Tender Touch, and Wizards of the Wind.