hidden grove near a lake of lore, local habitation

we want the travelers to stop here
as we want the spirit haunting us to welcome them
perseverant light in the dark heart beating
coalition of horror and delight

with walk of pink temple in lost love
brick mansions ways and mere abodes tending toward rubble
hardwood forest understory in streams and bogs
some deserted fields of slapstick hopping hearts

mantis bat cricket, and roach in a childrens story

in a small mostly sleeping third story room of evening forward and backward time
a mantis flew in from the hall landing high on a window curtain
from the front rowhouse sidewalk garden the winterberry on wings toward chimneys sky trees behind
chimneys once a bat crawled down through a barely open damper and flew the stairs and halls back up
finally untrapped in doors out fresh air up and not randomly all about evening sky and sounds around
ultrasonic skies mantis cautiously travels and cricket stridulates into lovers landing
lovers and others hear chirping through a third story window
chirping that stops
for the mantis let out of the cup on the backdoor stoop
for the bat ever about the sky and house
for until it starts again forward and backward time.
and for roach, sometimes set free sometimes not, a way you must aggregated come see me

(the mantis crawled in between a screen and a third story window sill and was caught and set free outside the back door; the bat came in through a chimney damper vent and had to be trapped in a room then left to fly out a window; crickets often stop chirping for various reasons; cooperation and competition are balanced in cockroach group decision-making behavior; i miss you most when i do)