Alimentary Proof by Gene Twaronite

Alimentary Proof

Gene Twaronite

Snoop and Snort pounded all day

on a rusty Remington typewriter

missing the letter “e,”

writing stories for Metro Daily News

about mythical creatures called humans—

smart as dragons, some say—

but no one believed them.

They needed proof.

So off they set to find a human,

a hard thing to do, since none

existed in all the dragon world.

As they passed through an alleyway,

all at once the air around them

began to shimmer and squiggle,

like something struggling to be.

Then out popped a tiny creature,

wearing striped shirt and baseball cap,

chasing a ball.

Snoop and Snort stared in wonder

at the human-shaped creature,

which did not seem fierce at all

and not half as big

as the beings they wrote about. 

The creature froze, as Snoop and Snort

sniffed it from head to foot.

Grinning with sharp teeth,

they licked their chops

as their bellies growled.

It was nearly lunchtime.

The creature screamed and ran,

but not nearly fast enough

to outrun a fiery breath.

Snoop and Snort searched in vain

for more delicious creatures.

Tired and still hungry, they returned to the office

where they pounded all day

on a rusty Remington typewriter

missing the letter “e,”

writing stories for Metro Dragon News

about mythical creatures called humans.


About the Author

Gene Twaronite is a Tucson poet and author of six books, including two juvenile fantasy novels and two short story collections. His first collection of poetry, Trash Picker on Mars, was published in 2016 by Aldrich Press (imprint of Kelsay Books). A strong element of the absurd runs through much of his writing. Follow more of his writing at his blog (www.thetwaronitezone.com).