Gnome of the Neighborhood

Stout man

Like a little

Garden gnome—

A shrunken-down

Version of Merlin

With a belly of

Cherry-stuffed donuts

And

Cherry cobbler

And

Triple Fudge truffles.

A little mustache

Like a fuzzy caterpillar

And deep-buried

Eyes of dusty blue;

Crow feet

And squirrel eyebrows

Only three strands of

Mouse-colored hair—

Maybe less—

On his freckled head.

Disgusting.

But he has the only pool in the neighborhood, so

We—

The little kids—

Love him.

And he makes the

Best

Gooey

Glutinous

Give-them-to-me-now

Chocolate cookies.