by Josh Effiong
Mutualism Explained
There are always chickens laying eggs.
Somewhere. At any minute of the day.
Beetles have been known to ride chicken
eggs like carnival rides at the county fair.
I’ve never seen that, but I read it on the Inter-
net so it must be true. They do it when the
chickens get up off the eggs to get a glass
of water. Steal a few minutes of ride time
until their delicate beetle parts have etched
trail marks on the surface of the eggs. One
farmer said it looked like art work. And
an artist guild tried to hire the beetles to do
demos in front of onlookers. It didn’t work
because beetles are basically shy. They are
not public performers.
John Dorroh was forced to eat oatmeal cooked in his first-grade classroom every morning. He hated it and managed to dump it into the in-room toilet until Mrs. Estes caught him, refilled his bowl and watched him eat every bite. Two of his poems were nominated for Best of the Net. Others have appeared in numerous journals such as Tilde, Os Pressan, Mono, Team Agony Opera, and Spillwords. He fantasizes about renting a small villa in Tuscany with a few intimate friends, hiring a chef, and riding Vespas up and down dusty hills. And drinking their weight in red wine.
A Nigerian by birth and studying Science Laboratory Technology at University of Calabar, Joshua Effiong is a lover of poetry & here he finds freedom. His literary works have appeared/forthcoming in Eboquills, Kalahari Review, Shallow Tales Review, Rough Cut Press, Madrigal Press, Warning lines, Hearth Magazine, Mausoleum Press, Ghost City Press, Acropolis Journal, Tilted House, Clandestine Literary Magazine, Augment Review, Cypress Poetry Journal, Aganpathus Collectives etc. Author of Autopsy of Things Left Unnamed. He also find joy in photography and reading. Connect with him via Instagram @josh.effiong and twitter @JoshEffio.