Classic Poem

Tar babies are
not the children
of tar people.
It is far worse.
The tar baby occurs
spontaneously
nor do we adhere
at first. There is
an especially
unperverse
attractiveness
to the tar baby—
although currently
she is a little sick.
When you start
to help her
is when she
starts to stick.











From Poetry Magazine, Vol. 186, No. 1, April 2005. Used with permission.