mind-termites

no
no
no

mr ted hughes
a fox can’t be a thought

you’re dead
& we’re supposed to respect the dead

sure thing

but a thought-fox?

a cute metaphor
i can give you that
but does it hold up?

thoughts
i can assure you
are termites

sylvia
your dead ex-wife living in my head
nods yes

thoughts are the termites of the mind

& unlike your thought-fox
thought-termites long for solitude

a clock’s loneliness
is the least of their concern

they hate neat prints in dark snow
& couldn’t care less about my blank page

as they run amok
in our heads
& compete to eat up
& swallow whatever
thought they can find

nothing will be written

the mind-termites
ferocious
as they always are
won’t help
printing the page

on the contrary
the mind-termites
will drill & devour
not only the page
but also
my pen
& my fingers holding the pen
my words
& my …