Self-Portrait as a Puddle

Kip Knott

I’d like to believe I am more than

a shallow puddle, that I am an oasis

for the ants who drink from me.

But I’ve come to accept

that I live a fleeting, faceless life

waiting for some passerby to stop

and stare deep into me so I can see

the world through anyone’s eyes.

Kip Knott is a writer, photographer, teacher, and part-time art dealer living in Delaware, Ohio. His poetry chapbook, Distress Signals, is available from tiny wren publishing. His third full-length collection of poetry, The Other Side of Who I Am, is forthcoming in 2023 from Kelsay books. You can follow him on Instagram at @kip.knott and read more of his work at kipknott.com.