71 words

The silverfish climb walls

and crawl the faded floors;

eat peeled wallpaper, balls

of lint in broken drawers;

across veneer, find pairs

of thick and chipped wenge legs,

art deco chaise lounge chairs,

upholstery now in rags.

And under the gold transom,

the stained glass, bas-reliefs

of pelicans held in ransom—

enter and exit thieves—

three archeologists:

Jamal, Kordell, and Floyd

who count on their proud lists

Zimbabwe and Detroit.

9 July 2017