by Nan Meneely
No offense to the lions and tigers, I swear,
Who mark what is theirs with a wee.
Our cretin, his g(u)ilt and his name everywhere
(No mammal more worthy than he),
Tags his kingdom with arches and, hubris untamed,
Prints his features on banners unfurled,
But his big baby claim to his rivals' domains
Has him peeing all over the world.
Nan Meneely retired to the relative peace and beauty of Connecticut after 20 electric years with FEMA. Her first book Letter from Italy, 1944 (Antrim House) was noted by the Hartford Courant as one of thirteen important books by Connecticut writers in 2013. It provided the libretto for an oratorio performed twice by Connecticut choruses and symphony orchestras. Her second book Simple Absence (Antrim House) was nominated for The National Book Award and placed as a grand prize finalist in The Next Generation Indie Awards and the 2021 Eric Hoffer Award. Her work has been both accepted and rejected by The New Verse News.
