Woke up this morning on a tired Tuesday,
made a cup of coffee, and braved the elements
to retrieve the weathered newspaper
from the doorstep.
At my well-worn chair I sit,
unfolding the newspaper,
to discover my own obit.

Driven to extinction, like the Dodo
Extinct, like the Smooth Handfish
Extinct, like the Northern White Rhinoceros
Extinct, like the Passenger Pigeon
Extinct, like the Golden Toad.

Gaining enough insight
to incite a riot.
Wrap up this fish in newspaper,
I’ll buy it.

Soon I will sink into a pit.
Admit defeat and quit.
I do not deserve to be treated like this.
I have been pushed into the abyss.

Poets are just people
who take notes on the universe.

CHRIS BODOR is a first generation American. He was born in Connecticut to an English mother and a Hungarian father. During the past three decades, his poems have appeared in many independent, small, and micro-press publications, such as the Lummox Journal, FM Quarterly, and New Generation Beats-2022 Anthology. Bodor is the Editor-In-Chief of the international literary journal A.C. PAPA, which stands for Ancient City Poets, Authors, Photographers, and Artists.