The well-known travel writer 
is being filmed (live). The viewers 
hold their breath watching him 
sink into the mud. A squelch. 
He makes a last attempt to pull 
out. Where the Ucayali meets 
the mighty Amazon, he was reporting 
on the advances of civilization. 
An experienced professional, 
his handsome smile freezes 
into a grimace while his shoulders 
are slowly sucked down. 

The jungle is stronger 
than order imposed 
by those who know nothing 
about the gifts 
you need to bring 
to the rocks, 
the trees that walk at night, 
to the silence which swallows 
your memories. 

The giant ferns caress his face, 
cutting it softly. The viper, holding 
on to the branch it calls family, 
sways this way and that, its tongue 
tasting the air in search of fear. 

The green opens its arms in acquiescence, 
then closes them again soundlessly. 

Rose Mary Boehm

is a German-born British national living and writing in Lima, Peru, and the author of two novels as well as seven poetry collections. Her poetry has been published widely in mostly US poetry reviews (online and print), and has been twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her most recent collections, Do Oceans Have Underwater Borders? (Kelsay Books, July 2022), Whistling in the Dark (Cyberwit, July 2022), and Saudade (Kelsay Books, November 2022), are available on Amazon. She is at work on a new manuscript.

Author’s website: https://www.rose-mary-boehm-poet.com/