A Grasshopper Poem by Juan Olivarez

A grasshopper was hopping,
(Cause that's what they do)
He landed on a cactus,
And said ah, ah, ahchoo.

'Gesundheit ' someone said,
From somewhere behind.
And the grasshopper said 'thank-you.
I hope you don't mind.'

'The sun is so bright,
It just made me sneeze.
It's nothing contagious,
It's not a disease.'

'So glad to hear that'
The voice came again.
'Because I was watching,
And I took great pains.'

'To hide in this cactus,
Until you came near.
Because little grasshoppers,
Are what I hold dear.'

The grasshopper turned,
A pale shade of green.
The voice came from a crow,
That he hadn't seen.

And that was the last thing,
He ever knew.
The crow just swallowed him,
Didn't even chew.

12/1/11 Alton Texas