in a street procession, I see
a monitor lizard bandaged in
a bamboo basket
atop a tribal woman’s head
its primordial snout searching
for moss and mycelium
microbes and marrow
that escape
this curling forest fire
that catches me
breathless brittle
taut turning
ready to swallow the
spilling chimera of the
night sky
Primordial Snout was published in Marrow Magazine, Issue 16 on June 6, 2025
It is based on one of the many street processions that I watch in Bangalore. I follow these processions because the drumbeats, music, and costumes excite me. This was based on a dream in which I saw this reptile caged. I am sure it means something but I am not sure what.
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