Ornithorhynchus anatinus
by Arlene Ang

Platypus,
that's how you called me.
Feet always
webbed in slippers
that fall pitter-patter
on the floor.
Blue-grey bill
always ready
to sift mud
for shrimps to lay
on your plate.

Ornithorhynchus
anatinus,
you didn't know,
can't stand
having its fur rubbed
wrong with jealousy,
its ear slits pinched
by too many insults.

The male platypus
when provoked,
as studies reveal,
can shoot poison
from the spike
on its ankle,
inject ink on
divorce papers
to serve for your dinner
enough to shock
and stiffen
your burning hands
into rigor mortis.

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