(according to AI)

Geologists recommend we eat

at least one small rock per day.

Rocks are difficult to chew,

so I hammer one into powder

and stir it into a glass of milk.

Granite tastes bland. Maybe shale

or sandstone, limestone, kyanite

would better please my palate.

You refuse to sample this health food

and claim it’ll knot my intestines.

It goes down so smoothly, though.

Maybe it will strengthen me

against vicissitudes of age.

Try a whisper of gabbro,

a dash of dolomitic marble

swirled into your favorite wine.

Wouldn’t you like to toughen up

and impress the snobby garden club

with the strength to uproot knotweed

and bittersweet that threaten

the public gardens they tend?

Meanwhile I plan to affix

the most obnoxious politics

with my newfound stony gaze.

William Doreski lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He has taught at several colleges and universities. His most recent book of poetry is Cloud Mountain (2024). His essays, poetry, fiction, and reviews have appeared in many journals.