root, plan, pack, heaven, growl, heal,
burst, rows, shivering, mending, why, time
burst, rows, shivering, mending, why, time
Running From Snakes
It is time
Make a plan
Pack a bag
I return to
The place I began
My roots
Shivering
Mending
Growling
Never heaven
The place I grew up
The coastal tidelands
Of Texas
When I was a little girl
Maybe three or four
I remember the rows
Of my Aunt Maggie’s garden
One day I lifted a bean leaf
Coiled beneath was a snake
He so surprised me
I burst from the garden
Into the arms of my Aunt
Why I remember many times
Running away from snakes
12 comments:
and in the end he was probably just as curious of you as you of he...
it can be a daunting thing to return to ones roots...
and a wonderful thing as well..
just watch for those snakes...
Now that's a terrifying memory.
Scary. I worked in my yard yesterday and was on guard.
I too have memories of running from snakes when I was a girl. Enjoyed your poem, Annell.
The snakes of time can certainly creep up on us..make us shiver..sometimes being bigger helps..but hugs anyway..i love how concisely and strikingly this piece is coiled
Absolutely love how your closing lines turn your childhood memory into a metaphor for life lessons. When I was gardening I hated lifting the leaves on the cucumber plants because there were always bees in those shadows. And no matter how old I get, I still flinch away from getting stung.
Elizabeth
Snakes are such a powerful symbol. They're always jumping out at me in my dreams.
Snakes are scary, especially the ones walking around on two legs.
Wonderful work, Annell! Make no mistake, I despise snakes.
I'll bet the snake was scared too. I remember once, on my hands and knees weeding the garden, I came face to face with a HUGE green bug that looked like an alien. I was terrified! I put him on a shovel and took him out in the back lane so he'd go somewhere else!
Snakes are probably more frightened of you but when confronted it is always best to disprove that theory and run from them in any case.
Annell, I am not fond of snakes, and I would have run also. Well wordled.
Pamela ox
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