Good Morning!
It's time to gather together for a bit of poetry. Yesterday I mentioned a new-to-me poet I had discovered: David Bottoms. Here is one of the poems from his book "Otherworld, Underworld, Prayer Porch."
AN OLD ENEMY by David Bottoms
Just past midnight when I walked out back to piss in the yard
I saw at my feet
in a patch of moonlight
the old enemy coiled on the root of a cherry tree.
It didn’t rattle or move, and I thought it might be dead,
then the fat tail twitched
as a slight wind washed the root with shadows.
I backed away slowly, looking for the shovel
I kept leaning against the fence.
It wasn’t there. So thinking omen, I left the snake
and walked back into the house.
This morning I saw my mistake. A rope the tree trimmers
left last week
lay draped across the root of the cherry.
Omen? Maybe. But no mistake.
In deep memory the danger remains –
the fat rope
coiled and ready to strike.
This is a terrific poem, Vera! "The fat rope coiled and ready to strike" makes me laugh and shudder at the same time. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNow that's an evocative poem, Vera! Love it! I often think I'm seeing a snake out in the garden . . . and - thankfully - it's usually just a hose!
ReplyDeletePissing in the yard.....ah, yes. We're on a well system and when we don't have electricity we don't have water. Pissing in the yard is not unheard of in times of long power outages...lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad it wasn't really a snake! also, grateful that when I get up to pee in the middle of the night, I get to stay inside.
ReplyDeleteUgh! I detest snakes. Glad it was just a rope and glad I get to stay inside,even in my camper. :-)
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
yup, it is a primal fear to me, too! I enjoyed the poem, thanks!
ReplyDeleteHa! Oh how the eyes (and mind) can play tricks on oneself! This is a new to me poet as well! Thank you for bringing him to my attention!
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh because I am terribly afraid of snakes and mistaking a rope for one is definitely something I would do!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that just the use of the word "piss" turned me off immediately. I have such a negative gut reaction to this crude word. I have no idea why; it's just so ugly and base.
ReplyDeleteAnyway--I would not have thought about going for a shovel! I'd have screamed and run into the house, then seriously thought about spending the night in a hotel. (And I'd probably have called a realtor before I discovered the snake was a rope--that's how deep my phobia is!)
Interesting how our fears and darkness might make us see trouble that really isn't trouble. I wonder how much this happens in our world.
ReplyDeleteNeat poem! I don't mind snakes but I like them at a distance unless it's rope!!
ReplyDelete