Category: Poetry

I came upon a black rat snake yesterday,
And came to a sudden stop when I saw it in my way,
I was running on an overgrown trail, emerging from the woods,
The snake lay halfway across the trail, just ahead of where I now stood.

We looked at each other as if to say,
Who of us shall make the first move and go his (or her!) own way,
I was a little hesitant to pass in front of the snake for sure,
Visions of it darting forward, it would have been more than I could endure.

As the snake stayed still and flicked its black tongue in and out of its mouth,
I had to make some kind of move, of that there seemed be little doubt,
I tried to tap my foot against the ground to create some kind of a vibration,
And picked up a stick to encourage the snake to avoid a confrontation.

The snake quickly turned and effortlessly slithered away to places unseen,
It’s curves and black color distinct against the shades of the path so green,
I ran by where it had been, and went my merry way without further say,
I don’t know if the snake and I are destined to pass each other yet another day.

It is not hot as yet in the early morn, but it soon will be,
The sun will rise over the nearby buildings and heat up everything to see,
The land is scorched and the rivers already run dry,
People manage and go about their lives, nobody asks why.

The trees and plants have shed parts of their lives overnight,
And their remains litter all of the pathways in sight,
Leaves and flowers from bougainvillea and other plants, left and right,
They have not survived to see another day,
A general sense of tidiness, and order, demands that it all be swept away.

Dust rises into the nostrils with every sweeping motion of the broom,
The dust is relentless,
You think it has been swept clear,
You can be sure there will be a new layer soon.

The mynah stops by as I sweep the yard,
What brings it, I do not know.
Now I have company as I sweep up the yard and laugh,
But soon the bird is gone (I am probably not interesting enough),
Back to my thoughts my mind does go.

And this I know as I sweep up the dust,
Soon I will also be gone, but there are others I trust,
The work will still continue regardless, it must!

Things will continue to happen, I say that not in jest,
Life will go on, of that you can be sure, no need to test,
Even if the grass does not grow here anymore,
Life will be certain to go on for sure.