The Human Thing to Do by Steven Bruce

 

Art by Steven Bruce

The Human Thing to Do

FOR HERMAN

Winter knocks,

the cold seeps in.

A small bug clings

to the door frame.

At night it scuttles closer.

You’re suspicious, need to know

what it’s up to.

You read about it.

Conifer seed bug.

Harmless to humans.

Eats nuts and seeds.

You put out a crushed almond,

a little water,

and name him Herman.

Each night he sits with you,

crawls over your cardigan,

across the laptop screen,

while you drink coffee and write

as if tomorrow won’t come.

You tell him things,

the shape of your poems,

knowing he won’t understand.

One morning you find him

in the hall,

stiff as a wine cork.

You think he came in

out of the cold

so he wouldn’t die alone.

But we all do.

You tuck him in a matchbox,

toss him into the furnace,

cremate him,

like so many family members.

And now he’s smoke above the house, a little soot settling on the walnut tree.

© Steven Bruce

Steven Bruce

Steven Bruce is a writer and a multiple-award-winning author. His poems and short stories have appeared in numerous international anthologies and magazines. In 2018, he graduated from Teesside University with a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing. You can follow Steven on his website: www.stevenbrucewriter.co.uk.

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