for Mike Allen
1:1
Feeding on the living is good,
but feeding on the dead is better.
1:2
Nestle your offspring in the rancid.
1:3
The air is heavy; let it work for you,
but fly only until you find beauty.
1:4
Shit is beautiful.
1:5
Rub your hands together before you eat.
1:6
If you land on the wrist that holds the swatter,
consider yourself lucky, not clever.
1:7
Remain humble, if you think of anything.
1:8
You only have a few days;
stay simple.
1:9
Breed when you are able.
2:1
And when you are licked
by the frog’s tongue,
or swallowed by a songbird,
or felled in a cloud of nerve gas
and lie twitching, unconcerned,
2:2
know that it is the honor of a fly,
it is its purpose,
to die.