Drum Major

Blaze Bernstein (as Kirk Gingle)

Two by two, four by four,
eight and a half by eleven they come,
crawling in the crevices.
I lick the pavement, and it goes numb,
dry taste buds that have known only the touch of limestone.
The ants crawl up my nose and down my throat
like a marching band
(tuba, flute, tambourine),
tip-tapping against my esophagus
Moonlight Sonata No. 14.
And they march on
And on
And on
And on

Blaze Bernstein was born in Orange County, California and has lived there all his life.  When he's not busy writing, he enjoys photography and playing the piano.  His writing has been published in several other places, including the Bangalore Review and Inkblot Literary Magazine.