it’s tiring
all of this saving
you save one spider
that crawls across your sink
fighting the urge to smash it
only to rescue the moth
the cat has trapped
by the sliding glass door
and you sigh
when you find the ant
crawling on your sleeve
maybe from the bush
you passed on the walk
and you brush it off
though you know if you found it
in your kitchen
you would have smashed
even mercy
tires
and only the memory
of reincarnation
stays your finger
suspended in the air
Words and Feathers 