far from worship
Herb Kauderer
feathered serpent
mired in steam
rising from lush wet forest
spined ferns reach
twenty feet into sky
daring you to land
& vines clutch
like the many handed tribes
pull at you
like ghosts
of long murdered ancestors
float, float
while night
& distance hide you
from ravenous hordes
and pray, pray
the worshippers
go another day
without finding their god
First appeared in Scavenger’s Newsletter #108 2/94
