In a Popular Restaurant,
My Daughter Once Asked
why the lobsters
in pictures
were red
as she tapped
on the glass
of the ones on
death row,
their banded
claws
their tentacles
twitching
their mirrored
eyes shifting
but blind to
the red.
Killing Floor
Here among the hoists and hooks,
we strive to save what’s living.
Here beyond the bolted doors,
we shake to break the windows.
The eyes, the walls, the room spurts red.
And slabs of offal stain the scene.
Outside
they’re firing up the grills
and passing out
the paper plates.
A picture
perfect picnic.
Exposed
You’ll need more
than a towel
to cover
yourself.
More than
a mealymouthed alibi.
The red light was on by
the darkroom door
and your face
washed up on film.
About the author:
Frank William Finney is a poet from Massachusetts who taught literature in Thailand for 25 years. He is the author of the chapbooks Birds in a Boneyard (Bainbridge Island Press, 2025), The Folding of the Wings (Finishing Line Press, 2022), and two collections published in Thailand. His work has been widely published in international journals and anthologies, including The Brussels Review, Seventh Quarry Press, Out to Sea Anthology, The Poetry Lighthouse, Porch LitMag, Drawn to the Light Press, and Universal Oneness. His latest collection is Preludes to Lethe (Kelsay Books, 2026). Find him online at frankwilliamfinney.net
Feature image by Alex Simon on Unsplash