The forceps scratch the chitin
By Mykyta Ryzhykh
• • •
The forceps scratch the chitin
The insect knows how to endure
My six limbs are numb
I screamed like a newborn
Above the head of the tree I saw my mother
I asked my mother why my toys only have two limbs
Mom didn’t answer anything apparently because I’m no longer a child
Suddenly a white dove flew off a branch
Who would have thought that hungry pigeons eat everything?
I was born to be eaten
The insect knows how to endure
My six limbs are numb
I screamed like a newborn
Above the head of the tree I saw my mother
I asked my mother why my toys only have two limbs
Mom didn’t answer anything apparently because I’m no longer a child
Suddenly a white dove flew off a branch
Who would have thought that hungry pigeons eat everything?
I was born to be eaten
• • •
Mykyta Ryzhykh is an author from Ukraine, now living in Tromsø, Norway, who has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2023 and 2024, and published in Tipton Poetry Journal, Stone Poetry Journal, Neologism Poetry Journal and many others.
