Clinging [Poetry]

This is a poem by Richard King Perkins II. 

For three days

I’ve carried you

on my back

even though

you keep falling off.

 

Unhurt,

I help you

atop my shoulders

once more

praying

that you’ll cling

to me so tightly

my hair will

tear out in clumps.

 

Your tiny body

keeps falling though—

my special child.

At last

I hide you

beneath the roots

of an ancient tree

that the scavengers

might not desecrate you.

 

In eulogy,

I preen knots

from your monkey fur

and leave only

when the leopard scent

grows too near.

 

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Richard King Perkins II is a state-sponsored advocate for residents in long-term care facilities. He lives in Crystal Lake, IL, USA with his wife, Vickie and daughter, Sage. He is a three-time Pushcart, Best of the Net and Best of the Web nominee whose work has appeared in more than a thousand publications.