Above the Fire

    Above the fire a woman is devoured by a snake，

    unseen.

    The leaves are yellow alongside & in the wake

    the trunks & branches

    mirror one another， black， rain-soaked.

    And now he's old. He trails a hand until it snares

    a leaf——saw-toothed.

    Clouds break above the buildings

    where there had been none.

    The snake is old， its jaw completely

    unhinged for the swallowing.

    What now？

    There was a continent.

    Below， the last gods bum along with their last

    offerings——

    no smoke， no film， no evidence.

    The gold-shagged blizzard of the willow

    spills again.

    Climb down. Prevent.

    He leans back & the oar drips like no other memory.