Imagination and Reality at Play

Sometime before the land turned away from light

The wind in the wild mustard slowed.
The sun, being where is always is, the moon too
Twilight and moonrise were in me.

Something small and quick sprang and ran.
The long grass bent as I watched the urge to chase
Corner and kill rise and fall inside me.

A hawk tucked wings, stooped from a great height
Was high in the air again, a ground squirrel in its claws--
The life of a large snake touched me. I watched

From grass to rock, sand on the road to sage…
I heard the dry hiss where a lizard whipped out.
The serpent, licking the air with pronged tongue

Coiled under a cactus tree, sang a warning—
This was no tree of knowledge, the rattler
Untouched by good or evil, is pure, perfectly pure—

I closed my eyes, sound and light opened the inner eye
I saw a human face, half gleaming reptilian green
Half clear compassionate blue-- There were no words,

No thought, I moved forward and became that face.

Rayn Roberts is found in print & online at Rattle, Rattapallax, The Sow's Ear Review, Thunder Sandwich, Pedestal Magazine, Poetic Voices & others. He appears in two anthologies by Beyond Borders Press. His poetry is known in cities across the United States. He toured the U. S. in 2003 to promote "Jazz Cocktails and Soapbox Songs". He has published in Australia, Italy & South Korea where he teaches English.

Find more by Rayn Roberts in the Author Index.

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