the rounded hood of a snake deceives

the weasel, mongoose, or lion

a jeweled peacock blinks in feathers

men break the crystalline top of the snow

to make angels

or seed the rain cloud to flood the desert

a porcelain cup

with fractured rim

will always cut

the lining of the lip

while Venus awaits flies on the floor of the jungle

under dead leaves and animal dung

chipped bark and spiders

eventually fall to her cradle