Romer’s Gap

By Tian-Ai

A gap in the evolutionary fossil record; relevant fossils from this time have not yet been discovered.

—supratidal—

draw back—
fear of grief.
disdain toward
desired thing.

—tsunami:
fly agaric.
herbalist porn fantasy.
vivisection.
simultaneous orgasm atop lab table.

anthropomorphize trees to avoid
homoerotic thoughts of family members.
homoeroticize anthropomorphic trees.

suppress memory.
unsuppress memory.
suppress memory.
watch deep-sea snailfish implode

upon forced surfacing—
withdraw permission.


 
—intertidal—

google medieval torture boxes.
google eradication of female
genitalia without mutilation.

carve orifice out of fruit.
toy with idea of sharing.
in sunlight, anemones

ball their fists.
write text.
delete text.
note several ways to hide.


 
—subtidal—

edit bubonic plague wikipedia page.
through window, cormorants
arrow into the sea.


for once,
careen.

in the aphotic zone, creatures must conjure
their own light.
the plague was about transformation
in the face of—
wikipedia account banned indefinitely.

unearth childhood list of desired objects:
nautilus
cicada husk
tender zing of

freshly toothless hole—
permission granted:

emerge immune
to rapture.
Source: Poetry (January/February 2024)