Krayor, the Snake Charmer

An elephant must step
Aside for whip cracks.

A snake must have
The will to be charmed.

Giraffes hear only
The hoarse barks

Of asthmatic trainers
And bend their heads,

Ducking beneath
The barn’s yawning door.

Fierce, wild things
Stand in pens,

Staring at sky
Where clouds root,

Stomp in the mist,
And collide.

Someday the gray mutt
Will lead the way,

Gripping a scrap
Coated with lard,

Racing beyond
The old man’s calls,

Into the stand
Of snowy firs,

Tearing him apart
Strip by strip.

Find more by Thomas Reynolds in the Author Index.

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