Snake and Mouse
Eyelid slide, shutter click
Bristle of fur, whisker twitch
A furious beat, a tiny heart
A drum, a time piece, with no escapement.
All the while, scales of gold
Moving, articulated, slow
A calculation, a maneuver
Black-eyed, dead-eyed, taught.
Inevitable darkness falls,
A being’s true nature calls
contraction, constriction,
A gentle slide to oblivion.
I love the city trust in stanzas one and two; the first one, sharp and precise, delicate as a tiny mouse; then the second stanza uncoils slowly with menace just like the approaching snake. The third stanza falls as gently as the darkness it describes – darkness in so many ways – and the closing line ‘A gentle slide to oblivion’ aptly describes the slow exit of menace. Love this!
Thank you for a really thoughtful response to my poem! :0