Pinochio

My sisters and Jiminy Cricket

taught me how to wish upon a star.

Asian folklore says that a loud cricket means money,

but it seems someone else always hears it first.

My uncle said crickets make good bait

and you don’t need to carry them through the woods

when you’re sneaking on private land to fish

and I can attest to that.

Self-deprecating millennials (yes, they do exist)

say they hear crickets when they speak.

I heard a poem about crickets by a millennial on Saturday

and self-deprecation was not a part of the piece.

Folklore, stories and fables, are teaching moments

and I much prefer the belly of a whale.

10-10-23