Sound of Tails

Andrew R. Duckworth

Are those the cicadas
Awakening from a long slumber
Almost a squeal?
No cicadas.
The snakes have come out
Near the house, too near.
I saw a wild dog in the green space.
It stopped and sniffed something
In the tall grass
And then backed away,
Unsettled and cowering.
And then that sound.
It’s the sound of tails
Rattling with violent urges.