Inside the belly of the cave,
a darkness more than metaphor
erases rock walls, ceiling,
ground, me. I find myself
alone in a literal darkness,
in the center of nothing,
realize this cold, dark womb
could be the only fear.
But I emerge, of course—
a light-flooded Andean backdrop,
the undulation of green flickering
before white-capped mountains.
My mother says when she dies,
it could be days before anyone
would find her. Such comfort
in being found still warm.
Listen to Suzanne Roberts read this poem:
Shark Attack
Cape Canaveral National Seashore, Florida
The fisherman struggles, reels
the young hammerhead onto shore,
smashes her head as she thrashes
in the wet sand. Blood spills red
ribbons from the gills onto the white
underbelly. The fisherman poses
as his wife snaps the photo. He pulls
the line from the slack jaw, flings the body
by its tail back into the foamy sea.
Suzanne Roberts is the author of two poetry collections, Shameless and Nothing to You. Recently named "The Next Great Travel Writer" by Natiional Geographic's Traveler, Suzanne holds a Ph.D. in literature and the environment from the University of Nevada-Reno and teaches English at Lake Tahoe Community College. For more information, visit her website at www.suzanneroberts.org.
