In the Year of the Snake

Two poems written 12 years apart, both during the Year of the Snake (one in 2013 and on in 2025) to show how we grow over time.

The Artwork: The Year of the Snake

The Poem: In the Year of the Snake

In the Year of the Snake, Part 1 (2013)

I have carried myself
with an apology
for far too long.

As if my bones
are a collection
of empty toilet paper rolls
articulating whatever the winds
blow my way
stepping lightly (oh so sprightly),
bowing and excusing
my existence into nil.

In the Year of the Snake, Part 2 (2025)

I wake up hungry and red
strong and embodied.

Like a snake in-shed
I am uncondensed,
filled out to the edges.

I open,
senses brimming
with expansion.

When I want what I want
I feel fear,
but I am not afraid.
When I am this whole
I can dream
the world complete.

I wake up hungry and red
strong and embodied.

I wake up,
and then I wake up again.