Bright Skin

I dug a hole to plant a small elderberry shrub and the hole, right away, filled with water. To the surface, roiling like a Kraken, came a red-bellied snake, split into three by my spade. I hated myself. This set the timbre for the week –head-down-work in the perpetual rain, punctuated by unexpected writhing, murky water rising, inside and out, I was in …