Den
by Benjamin Adair Murphy
One day when she was young
Amy Coney Barrett met a snake
And the snake said unto Amy
“I can teach you how to slither”
So Amy shed her clothes
And they crawled along together
And they traveled through the grass
And he took her to his den
And down there in that hole
The snake had many children
And they welcomed her with smiles
And soon they were her kin
And deep down in that hole
She learned all about their justice
And deep down in that hole
She learned all about their Jesus
While above ground there were hurricanes
That knocked out half of Florida
And above ground there were fires
That raged through California
And above ground there were riots
There was hatred, there was hunger
But deep down in the dirt
There was food and there was shelter
And when the student was the master
She left that den of snakes
She dressed in human clothes
And she stood up tall and straight
And she never told a soul
About where it was she went
She looked like one of us
Just her tongue was kind of different
And if she got into a spot
She’d hear the prayers of her snake friends
Then she’d look you in the eyes
And answer all your questions
Image Snake detail from a medieval illuminated manuscript, British Library Harley MS 3244, 1236-c 1250, f59v’
Benjamin Adair Murphy lives in Mexico City. His new political blues album ‘Let’s Make a King’ was released in July. His poetry and fiction have been published in The Good Ear Review, Ophelia Street, and others. His plays have been produced in New York, Boston, and Chicago. www.
