She lay there
At midnight,
Like the serpent.
Her belly warmed up
The dark
Rich soil

Prostrate before the heavens,
The moon's glow
Was her only clothing,
She lay there
And smiled
Into the heart
Of the earth.

Her laughter danced
Into the star-struck sky
And burst out in a parade
Of orange-
Shades of yellow
And
Her joy painted
A phantasmal sunrise

She tiptoed to the river
And
With a song, greeted
The early birds
And joined in the calm
Hum of the water
That flowed into her bones-
A song to welcome the day

Just then evil slithered by
With dark clouds in tow
Pregnant with venomous lies
She slipped on a wet stone
And fell flat on her face

The greens
Contoured her frame
Suddenly...
She was nowhere to be found

The dripping of her tears
Into the hollow of the
Adjoining branches
Of the tree
Behind which she hid
Struck the chords of
Mercy in the master’s breast
Each drop a prayer
Her copious tears a plea…
Trembling with the leaves,
The wind asked of her
And she whispered from
The shadows…

“I am naked...”