Best Neighbor Around
Hospitality of the Gopher Tortoise
Old man, wrinkled and dry Not many visitors Grace his earthen threshold Best neighbor, gopher tortoise, With hospitality for misfits— Forsaken, hated, and feared. A found friend in the darkness Cuddled against the cool shell, Coiled, the rattlesnake sleeps. Hideaway from decapitating shovels From cars that swerve on purpose To squash the life from his bones. Unlikely roommates Two reptiles, one docile The other could kill a man Somehow it works And both wonder When the bulldozer With its cold steel teeth Will cover over Their sandy neighborhood