Dyslexic Student

Surviving Afghanistan,
a spotted gecko blends
in its terrarium. Stub toes dig in.

He works out diet plans,
fixes the heat of plug-in stones
so homeostasis is maintained.

For weeks he observes.
Both of them have learned a stealth
that belongs to worlds before words.

Apart from his own folk,
he too needs Exo Terra rocks
and other thermo-regulating tricks.

All night he studies.
Spellchecks camouflage uncertainty.
His thesis finds a silent empathy

with captive macularius.
Hot days, they find shady areas,
and shutters wipe stone eyes.

Helen Kay is a dyslexia tutor and lover of chicken towns. Her first pamphlet, A Poultry lover’s Guide to Poetry was published in May 2015 (Indigo Dreams).