Stroke the eastern cougar
on the tree and send him
to hunt God in the forest.
Go down the mountain,
study the rattlesnake,
replenish the venom.
Visit tea leaf gardens,
wander and roll in them,
digest the scent.
Eat moss on the beach
without a plate and
when the ocean swirls
dive into the earth
underneath, share it
with night crawlers
for its taste of dirt
and salt, that briny
grit of connection
better than any eternity.
Kristy Snedden
Kristy Snedden has been a trauma psychotherapist for thirty-plus years. She began writing poetry in August 2020 and found a second passion in life. She is currently a student at Phillip Schultz’s Writers Studio. She has work appearing or forthcoming in various journals and anthologies, most recently Book of Matches, Snapdragon, Door is a Jar and Power of the Pause Anthology. She reads and writes poetry to stay alive and engaged in our turbulent world. Her poetry is informed by her years working in the field of trauma, her love of words and play, and by her connection with nature. She loves hiking in the Appalachian mountains near her home and hanging out with her husband listening to their dogs tell tall tales.
