EPITAPH
Look for
me in the sunset,
all pink and gold,
and in the fruiting body
of a slime mold, swaying
on its stalk. Whisper
my name to the millipede
molting its exoskeleton,
and to the pink-footed gull
scavenging on the dock.
Tell the horseshoe crab
and brittle star I say hello
when the tide goes out.
I am lingering between
the lines of my poems
and between the reeds
with the sora. Listen
for its whistle, ker-wee.
Remember me to the coot
with its heavy flight
and stubby tail. Remember
me to the bright red mite
with long hair on its legs,
and to all the ciliates,
like bells and tiny feet,
conjugating in the sea.
