The virus infected the entire village
certainly we became ill
after they left
some of us died
while others recovered.
when we opened our mouths
snakes crawled out
we were visibly contorted
by these demons.
How much does it cost
to cross the river on a carpet of logs
while the earth moving machines
preen their feathers
downstream
once the angels have stopped their
screaming and left us alone
with our newly forked
tongues?
I stop and I look for it in the water
I raise my hands to a sunset
that is hastened
by fire
I watch the hazmat crews alight from helicopters
proselytising
waiting
to learn this new language.
A shadow creeps across the clearing
where the mineral inspectors
converge in a sibilance
of smiles
and the jungle reaches
out to sign over
the deeds
to our graves.
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