serpent

We hold here, at the center
we hold
the long tail of causality is a blind and flailing thing
each of us, in his own time—turned
each of us bore it, thrashing
down into the ground
yea unto the seventh generation
how many miles are there in the earth?
You might walk before it
it crawls forward, slowly
as it passes--the world turns
I will turn, in my time
fear not, daughters of my sisters
do not fear, my brothers’ sons
--to cross the tracks on the ground
to vault the skies
there will be no teeth
in your heels out of season
we hold, who went before you
we hold