You talk like a teacher
But your drawings are infantile
And they reveal your fear of moving.
Your crocodile is yawning
Pretending to be tired but
See how he sits under your tree
In the swamp, waiting with
The patience of the primordial
For something to fall into his mouth?
I do care about you!
You must realize that
Your situation is untenable.
(We should have listened to the Hopi's
Back in the old days (1995).
When I came into this world
I was afraid. It wasn't a safe place.
It has never been a great place for kids
Your crocodile notwithstanding.
He is just a metaphor, by the way
Just the poet's way of getting your attention.
But now let us study the dragonfly,
The only creature I know
Who can fly backwards and
Turn at right angles.
They also live in this swamp.
The swamp is not a metaphor.
Every animal has a medicine for us.
The dragonfly teaches us
How we need to maneuver and navigate
The swamp.
The crocodile teaches us
That, if we want to imagine
That we are stuck in a tree
He will be happy
To put us out of our misery.
That's his medicine - hard to ignore
And powerful.
But look closely and you will see
Dragonfly resting on his nose!
