TERRI MCCORD

The small children build a time capsule

They find the butterflies, the ladybugs,
a beetle with a missing wing, and they
half-bury the creatures in some sand
with grass and twigs, an azalea blossom
plucked, moss, a pebble, then a few
sequins, eclipse sunglasses, a ponytail
holder, a metal piece covered in mud,
and hand-drawn portraits they were told
to make, glued on to toilet paper
rolls. All week, they have practiced
shaky numbers on lined paper and written 
the year 2099. Someone decides to blow 
a kiss into the capsule, then they all follow.