In the Jungle

The rain falls from the mouth of a green snake.
I peek around the closest patch of jungle,
I must protect my child from ravenous mouths.
I sense the hot sticky breath of a predator.
The mud curls around my legs as I wait,
Listening.
The smell of the plants swims lazily toward my nostrils.
Then my baby and I hear the snarls of an unfriendly animal.
We leap forward just escaping our doom
The chase is on!
I push my child forward trying to get her out of sight.
I'm sliding around every corner,
Slipping and falling on my face.
I slide against the fence.
Larissa and Thora attack without mercy,
While Lauren and I are smashed into the mud.
Then my father turns off the hose.
The tomato plants steam in the hot sun.

(This poem is about my sister Larissa and our neighbors Thora and Lauren that we use to play with in our garden)