The mating of echinoderms 
is simple and of passing pleasure: 
one has eggs, the other sperms 
to liberate in equal measure 

No courtship, no seductive charms, 
no mouth to mouth, and no embracing, 
for all their suckers and their arms 
create problems interfacing 

After they part, echinoderms 
pass time in hunting, or at leisure 
There are no prenuptial terms, 
no divorce laws to split their treasure 

Free to mate throughout the sea 
Good system. Well, makes sense to me 

Keith Evetts

is a retired British diplomat who lives in the UK. His scientific papers are published in Nature and elsewhere; his long-form poetry in The Oxford Magazine and Linnet’s Wings; his cherita in The Cherita; and his haiku and related short forms in Blithe Spirit, Cattails, Cold Moon Journal, Failed Haiku, Heliosparrow, Mambu, Presence, Prune Juice, The Asahi Shimbun, Wales Haiku Journal, World Haiku Review, and at The Haiku Foundation. His work has been anthologized in the Red Moon Anthologies of haiku and haibun, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Touchstone Awards.

Evetts is listed among the European Top 100 Haiku Authors in 2021, and hosts the weekly haiku commentary feature at The Haiku Foundation. He’s married, with five children, a grey parrot, and a sense of humour.