rattling, clicking, chirping,
        my tumultuous backyard -
        out there are basic songs

        In here behind this screen
        is a quiet life
        with a stray mosquito,
        a small spider meaning me no harm,
        I insulate myself against a noisy dark

        I must learn to express love boldly,
        it is a promise I have made myself
        opposing all the silences
        that have overtaken my life

        Like an insect in the grass
        driven by wordless desires -
        I too have no protection

        Like that insect I call out
        because it is my true song,
        my rattle, my click, my chirp

© Bob Rixon