Writers' Block
a monthly contribution from our AWA Writers' Group members Written by Holly Eng
Rain Forest Respite
Forgot to breathe
I trek ‘til I can walk no further
As I approached a patch of lemongrass,
My body freed from the beasts of isolation
Its scent of Pledge and Fruit Loops
My physical being exhausted by nature’s exorcism
Airily filling the void
Dappled light once again infiltrating my recently vacated soul
The serpent left
For my thoughts thrash about like caged creatures
The monitor lizard that had taken up
During this time of social distancing
A heavy residence in my gut
But the zoo has emptied for the moment
With its plodding steps and
The python departed silently
Flickering tongue The macaque that has been creating
Slid into the marsh and escaped
Chaos in my mind as only a
Between the lily pads
Chattering primate can, swinging
With nary a belch
From neuron to neuron The ever-present crashing
My heart expands within me, as
Of branches in my head
For a moment, I am freed
He jumped into a Putat Laut tree, as
From the menagerie of
The morning sun tickled its branches
Being alone,
And its white and pink pom-poms
Released to enjoy
Beckoned him to play
The enlivening presence Of the tropical forest
The python that enveloped My lungs like a reptilian bagpiper Singing out and sucking in, Clutching me tighter when I
The AWA Writers’ Group meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month. For more information, send an email to writers@awasingapore.org
www.awasingapore.org
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