Wednesday, August 20, 2014

"Watch Out for Snakes" (poem)

It was such a lovely place,
out there in the garden,
where the sun shone so bright
and the air always tasted clean.

Little yellow finches
came to eat the coneflowers
Perhaps they know it's Echinacea
but they know it tastes good too.

This was not a place for mowers
as everything had purpose
Nothing becomes a weed
unless someone says it's so.

Little Suzy Parker
wasn't always on the runway,
with cameras in her face
and flash bulbs in her eyes.

Little Suzy liked it better
when all those things were over
and she could go outside
to join her garden once again.

But on this day it was different
there was another in the garden
but he didn't say his name,
just listened while we talked.

He had a very quiet way
and of course this too was welcome
as speaking wasn't common
and didn't mean much anyway.

Suzy hadn't seen him,
she never noticed he was watching
until she came too close
and he tried to move away.

The movement scared her so,
she couldn't even help it,
as a snake that close beside her
was too much danger to behold.

She struck at once to stop it
but the act was enough to kill it.
This wasn't what she wanted,
she wanted none of this at all.

She cried out in her panic
and I saw right then what happened
I saw her crying for the spirit
of the creature gone away.

Why did you not call me,
I would have come at once to help you
but she shook her head in anguish
as she looked down to the ground.

She said I didn't mean it
and I told her, yes, I know this
but sometimes these things happen
so we learn as we go on.

His spirit isn't leaving,
he was in Heaven when he came here.
Keep the garden alive
and he can always stay.

She cried, oh God, I'm sorry,
I told her sorry doesn't matter.
There are more spirits in this garden
and they all need you now.

It's only all together
in this garden on this eve,
that we can call to anyone
and no-one has to leave.

You can't forget that snake,
it isn't what you are
but he won't forget you either
and he will be your guiding star.

So.

Little Suzy Parker
never did forget the serpent,
she gave up all the cameras,
and the flash bulbs in her eyes.

From that moment it was different,
the garden was within her
There was nothing more important
than seeing those finches come back home.

No comments: