The decorator crab
lodges on his sticky back
the patty of leaves
and a gingerly balanced
pebble stack.
A young father holds the hands
of each little girl on
either side of him,
his chest glitter-chapped
with nipple rings.
© 2005 Lee Upton
's poetry has appeared in The American Poetry Review, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and many other journals.
Her most recent book of poetry, her fourth, is Civilian Histories.
Her fourth book of literary criticism, Defensive Measures, will appear in the fall.
