EVEN A PRAYING MANTIS SEARCHES FOR HAPPINESS
On Salter’s pond,
a praying mantis and her mate are perched
on a green and yellow water lily pad.
She whispers in his ear:
Move closer to me
so I can set your loins ablaze.
His bulging eyes suggest
he’s more than willing to oblige.
After they mate, she asks,
Do I look fat?
He replies: You are as lovely as ever
in spite of the encroaching years.
After performing acrobatics
in the sky, they fly off together
singing duets from La Traviata.
Every frog, turtle and tadpole
gives an ovation, and urges them
to take a bow.
Hovering together over
a field of forget-me-nots,
he whispers in her ear:
This must be what happiness is!