At Ripley's
by S.C. Virtes

Shrunken heads,
      trips to China,
      elephant hair cash;
a temple built out of
      broken dishes
      from a shipwreck;
a lineup of people
      from 17 inches
      to Wardley's 8-foot plus;
the misfortune of extra heads,
      too many legs,
      not enough eyes;
a Last Supper on the wall,
      but look close ...
      it's made of toast.

All the daily impossible,
      even the Fiji mermaid
      looks surprised.
Dark halls on Beach Boulevard,
      leave it to Ripley
      to keep asking Why.