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In
the Museum of Natural History
By
Jayne Pupek
____________________
In the Museum of Natural
History,
I trip over bone. On my knees,
I hunt through the brochure
hoping to find its identity.
Pterodactyl... long thin...
No...the raptor...
Suddenly, I'm apprehended
by a guide. She scowls,
points to the rulebook,
page 78, Section 3,
prohibits visitor
contact with exhibits.
"Someone else left the bone
in my path," I explain
as two security guards
hook my arms
and carry me down the aisle
where I fear chastisement,
corporal punishment,
huge fines.
Instead, I'm sent to the Department
of Taxidermy, drained of blood
and mounted on all fours.
The gilded letters above me read:
Homo erectus, female,
bending on hands and knees
displays her species' ineptitude.
____________________
Jayne Pupek holds an MA in Psychology and lives
near Richmond, VA. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in several online and
print publications. "Primitive," her chapbook of poetry, is available
from Pudding House Press. Her first novel is scheduled for release Spring, 2006
by Algonquin at Chapel Hill. She can be contacted at JaynePupek@aol.com
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