What Rough Beast | Poem for October 11, 2018

Margo Davis
Snake Creeps Through Grass

A groundskeeper mimes loose-limbed
followers who slowly sway in sync with

their Tai Chi Master. A laborer appears,
bending in Contemplation Pose to spear

crinkly leaves, his inverted C a florid
calligraphy from the back woods

of conscious thought. A luminous
setting, with Dove Spreading Wings

beneath sweeping limbs, were it not for
an ozone warning hovering above

my thoughts. How clotted my mind
how uncluttered the nearby biker

who coaxes a squirrel with Cloud
Hands Going Left
. Its tail jumps.

Timeless turtles bask. Two tykes chase
a furtive albino squirrel who outplays

their aimless chase gone frantic.
Beneath beetle-infested trees it has

perfected a bob-and-weave safety drill.
At the bridge nine students Fan their limbs,

brushing aside pollutants. The laborer
Carries the Tiger Over the Mountain.



Margo‘s more recent poems have appeared in The Fourth River, Ekphrastic Review, Misfit, and Light, and the Houston Chronicle (Fall). Recent anthology publications include Enchantment of the Ordinary (December), Of Burgers and Ballrooms, Untameable City, numerous Texas Poetry Calendars, and Echoes of the Cordillera. A Pushcart nominee awash in Republican mindsets, Margo thrives on closely observing film, photos, and natural settings. She’s known for eavesdropping.

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