What a Student Does


When you don’t see she steals
your little worm
in a little jar she seals
to watch it squirm.
She stuffs it in her luggage
takes it home
and careless lets the buggage
loose to roam
the nightstand first
and then the very bed.
It spins a damp cocoon inside her head.
Then its web it chews
and disembarks
and like a star it strews
the night with sparks
that wake her without frightening
her to catch
the unexpected lightning
of the hatch
and neither whine nor tire
nor misconstrue
her wonder at the fire.
One who knew
no strike of light, no rub
of heat before
has turned a flickering grub
to meteor.