to Autumn Leaves, an online poetry journal
to social witness
to Mario's haiku
to the link libraries
to Sondra's book reviews
to the Ball/Cavallini homepage

Autumn Leaves

volume 5 number 6

divider
The Smoke Serpent

by Barbara Hilal

Out of the smoke of the rags
Pushed in the jars in rings
Came the dragon with his instructions
Meant for the ears of kings

They heard their ancestors voices
Come from flaming spectral tongues
The heat and sweat of the amazon
They breathed with fiery lungs

The jade and shells glittered in the light
The people chanted at the sight
The astral image filled the night
The tribal ruled it was their right

The roar of the Jaguar filled the air
As they circled around the flames
This was a night for ritual
Tomorrow a day for games

divider

Copyright © 2001, Barbara Hilal, all rights reserved.
[Autumn Leaves] [book reviews] [links] [haiku] [concerns]

Click Here!