{poetically plagiarized} 7: Subraman

I came across this poem and its poet last year as I rummaged in some dusty corner of the internet. Her work was instantly comfortable to me, and this work offered a rhythm and in particular an imagery that moved me, as poetry should.

TGB  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classical Indian Explanation: Music

past the hippies
past Ravi Shankar
eons before
when the first Asian snake
came alive
stiffened with sound
through some empty shell
some hollow wood
some emptiness

the snake
was not so much charmed
as listening intently
to the accidental flute
to that which he knew
must be female
its empty insides
calling him
with breath music

and he joined in
for awhile
finding a range of sounds
he’d never heard
then peace

and a new religion
practiced in places
where snakes are holy
and music
is written in his tongue

by Belinda Subraman