Erica Minton

SIGNORE SCATOLA

Bought a box turtle for a buck.
Turns out my snake won’t eat it.
Don’t really know why I thought it would.
Never read my National Geographic—
bought it because it looked gruesome.
Also why I bought the snake,
which I’m beginning to think
is broken?

But

it was still the best dollar I ever spent,
that turtle, Signore Scatola,
because now I have a friend
who makes me look good
and makes me look faster
and also
is snake-proof.