This is an ode to unbeautiful things,

like monarchs once bottled in flight,

as we called what we did preservation

while its spiracles struggled to fight.

This is an ode to unbeautiful things,

like hermits once kicked from their land

as we called what they ran from outdated

and constructed our cities on sand.

This is an ode to unbeautiful things,

like death due to losing one’s wealth,

as the oaths the staff took to protect us,

were amended in spite of our health.

This is an ode to unbeautiful things,

like the glory we give to the mud,

as the Rembrandts and della Francescas

all perish in lieu of the flood.

This is an ode to unbeautiful things

like the life we destroy, then applaud

as we call burning Eden our heaven

and claim that such greed is our god.

-Amy Struthers

Image by: Michael Herren