It has stopped raining
only a blanket of mist hangs around houses in the hamlet.
No one is up yet,
which is unusual
work starts early here.
Open a window
call my dogs
not a sound
and know that I’m alone
the others have fled in the night.
A hissing sound
and out of the house,
opposite mine
where the baker lives,
an army of snakes crawls towards me.
Close the window,
but they have seen me
and will try to get in through cracks in the wall,
key holes or through the cane roof.
The mist clears,
but it’s getting darker
and serpents are closing in
as I run to the car
thinking I’ll be safe.
Then I’m struck by a bolt of lightning
and dance like a puppet on a string, pass out.
When coming to, the snakes have vanished,
dogs bark, a tractor is ploughing a field
and someone is using an electric saw.
The sky is blue
and the landscape is at ease with itself.