The Tormented Elf

By Larry Rochelle

crack-knobbed fingers,

stuck near slit-like pockets,

grasp for apples

knocked to ground by Kansas winds.

the prairie often issues threats,

and clay-hardened figurines shudder,

their stone-brains built

only for statuesque remarks.

the sun hot on ears of clay, the bird

droppings a constant irritant,

waxed memories of flippant remarks

unheard, the little man captures every

glance, every bedazzled bird-song,

and hides them

in a memory too small

for tears.

– Larry Rochelle, author of “I Got Da Ever Lovin’ KC Blues,” is a Johnson County Community College English professor.