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| photo by Allison Tardio |
The woman is a double agent
Although she pretends to be a teacher
she really works
for the forest
She is protector of this hallowed ground
(but don't tell or she'll have to set her snakes on you)
She leads the children
and the grown ones on wooded hikes
tells them about the Cypress
the birds
the crayfish
but mostly she watches
Sometimes the woman catches the eye
of a kindred soul
a wild child
She gives a secret wink
The rest believe she's there
for them
(fools!)
She's there for the spirits of the forest
the ghostlike deer
who appear and disappear
without a sound
the sinewy black snake
with forked tongue sniffing the breeze
the orange legged spider
showy and quick
decorating its web with marks of Zorro
This is their home
and humans, the intruders
The woman sees to it that the guests behave
show the proper respect
and if they don't
someone may go home with nasty case of
poison ivy
or perhaps an accidental fall
into the creek
(careless children are prone to accidents)
and you never know
where a snake may slither.
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| photo by Allison Tardio |
