The well-known travel writer
is being filmed (live). The viewers
hold their breath watching him
sink into the mud. A squelch.
He makes a last attempt to pull
out. Where the Ucayali meets
the mighty Amazon, he was reporting
on the advances of civilization.
An experienced professional,
his handsome smile freezes
into a grimace while his shoulders
are slowly sucked down.
The jungle is stronger
than order imposed
by those who know nothing
about the gifts
you need to bring
to the rocks,
the trees that walk at night,
to the silence which swallows
your memories.
The giant ferns caress his face,
cutting it softly. The viper, holding
on to the branch it calls family,
sways this way and that, its tongue
tasting the air in search of fear.
The green opens its arms in acquiescence,
then closes them again soundlessly.
is a German-born British national living and writing in Lima, Peru, and the author of two novels as well as seven poetry collections. Her poetry has been published widely in mostly US poetry reviews (online and print), and has been twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her most recent collections, Do Oceans Have Underwater Borders? (Kelsay Books, July 2022), Whistling in the Dark (Cyberwit, July 2022), and Saudade (Kelsay Books, November 2022), are available on Amazon. She is at work on a new manuscript.
Author’s website: https://www.rose-mary-boehm-poet.com/
