a viper in the garden
moves with intent and stealth
a shadow in moonlight
this is my gravestone
cold and grey
chiseled with name and testament
overgrown with weeds and grass
leaning like a leaf in a wind
low to the earth
thick with aroma of the natural world

small holes in the tapestry of my life
the viper has wormed his way into the colors there
mixed his toxic blood with her pure loves
swift is his nature
dire are his eyes
this is the swan song never before uttered
this is the last chapter never written
small holes in the tapestry
life long obsession
with the one truth never attained
in her eyes
a viper in the garden
and seeing him there i knew
that the truth had eluded me

as a young man i had thought to dream
and nourished that dream until it was a
beautiful garden  
where waiting for me was the truth of me
that i was born to find her
and to love ever after
but as with all men comes the world
comes the truth of our lives
a viper in the garden has taken away my dream
small holes in the tapestry of my life
let slip the moonlight
that peppers my gravestone
cold and grey
where the viper rests this night
sated by its dark vision