Crack the Spine - Issue 113

Mark Belair Perky one night / our parents went ballroom dancing / so my sister and i / to amuse ourselves / thought we’d free perky / our old blue parakeet we closed all the windows / so perky couldn’t actually escape / then opened his cage to let him / for the first time we could recall / fly about a bit perky stepped right up to the lip of his door / leaped out then / to our open horror / and stifled hilarity / failed adequately to fly perky smacked on a table / shot into a wall / soared up to a ceiling corner then / chirping crazily / crashed to the floor we finally finagled poor perky / back into his cage / with the help of our father’s old crusty fishing net and when our parents returned from their rare night out / flushed / tipsy / talkative / bumbling into tables / we stared at them / unsure whether to laugh or cry