Finalist for the 2015 Walrus Poetry Prize

Icon of verdigris
and pale lichen,

odalisque
pelted with algae,

ark of beetles
and moon moths,

paralytic rooster
mute as a burl.

Slow lover
of red hibiscus

and tossed,
fragrant leaves,

hanging saber-
clawed

and masked
like a robber.

Torpid idol,
symbol suited

for drowsy
sin.