Margaret's Book by Russell Edson

 


One abiding characteristic of a Russell Edson prose poem: one person, animal, plant or thing can take the place or turn into any other person, animal, plant or thing. You want reason or logic? Ha! You'll be rooting in the earth for an Russell Edson root until the purple spoons come home to roost. I mean, take a look at this rustic Russell and tell me how many eggs the Jack of Spades might hatch.

MARGARET'S BOOK
An old man had a mouse for a daughter. Her eyes were like drops of ink; her ears, soft little petals . . .
He called her Margaret.

Then he lost Margaret while teaching her to dance.
Oops, he sighed as he felt the little body under the sole of his shoe. He picked her up by her tail, and pressed her in a book.

Sometimes he would open Margaret's book and see how like a flower she was. Her tail a flower's stem. Her ears, gray little petals lined with the mystery of pink desire . . .