endangered / engendered

on the brink of extinction we assert that death
has no gender.

Image: total solar eclipse. Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash

in this sphere we are an endangered species.
on the brink of extinction we assert that death
has no gender. we craft joy out of teary waters
& exchange pleasantries in form of saliva. we
sit at gatherings with scythes with inscriptions
from our fathers’ tombstones. our bucket list
gets longer each year because we still have leftovers
of many unfinished canvasses. our sweat has since
mixed with our saliva — a palimpsest of gory visions.
we sabotage our space ship for a scene of shrapnel
all over this abode. what will become of our lives?
Klein bottles! Klein bottles! Klein bottles!
happiness lives in the hearts of little things.

Image: selfie of Olaitan Humble standing in front of a mint green wall. He is wearing a varsity jacket on top of a red shirt.

Olaitan Humble is a Pushcart-nominated writer of African heritage. He is an aviphile and pacifist who enjoys reading satire, and collecting quotations and astrophotos. His work appears in CP Quarterly, The African Writers Review, Luna Luna Magazine, Nymphs, AGNG, Ninshar Arts, and Doubleback Review, among others. IG/Twitter: @olaitanhumble.