After "Warders" by Sandy Florian

After-Warder
By Jennifer K Dick

By the subtle reminder
of her throat or the recollection
of that small serpent
diamondbacked seated on the rock then
walking, by the subtle
sensation of green a
reminder of homicide,
in the substantial nature
of suicide, by the subtle
stance of her or you, a
reminder of that way
we talk or chat or stop, say
to keep on, that way just
once in the dusk we’re
walking, I wake to
you and cloverbreathed
a community of walkers and
signposts acknowledging
the warders of Eve, so
pampered inwalled, so
ill-tempered, so ill-asleep,
this floating world
so ill-illumined by
the arc of a fruit’s red rind
the shadows on the moon