[Prompt: Photo by Robbin Grimm]

 

Bright Tapestry, Coverlet

 

Armadillos are said to have no eyeshine,

he whispered that first night

in my cozy bed.

 

The Indian mirrorwork coverlet, Shisha,

shone its tiny mirrors at us.

 

The tapetum lucidum is a layer of tissue

immediately behind the retina,

reflecting light and contributing

to the superior night vision

of some carnivorous animals, I learned.

 

Jerry came over most nights for a few weeks.

Bright yellow eyeshine belongs to raccoon,

he said, while I took off my makeup

and let down my hair.  Moths exhibit

an orange-red glow. Same holds true for owls.

 

Cool nights we wrapped ourselves

in the winking embroidered fabric,

imagining the sexy glare of wolf

and coyote eyes.

 

The burning red of gator eyes,

the frog’s green flash

and bear’s deep orange

were quite the aphrodisiac.

 

But then he said wolf-spiders shine

white as glittering constellations

as he tugged on his heeled boots

and then left before daybreak

for his job at the lab.

 

Shisha, shisha.  The streetlight is cold LED

and it shines through the window

on the stars of your horrible eyes!

 

 

* Tapetum lucidum, Latin for “bright tapestry, coverlet”