Macabre/Number 5/The Smell of Danger

by Sydney King Russell

The Smell of Danger

The day comes stalking
Heavy with foreboding,
Walking on stealthy feet
As if in search of prey.
Move at your peril through the murky morning
Taut at the smell of danger,
Dreading the lightning crack.
The air is tense with warning,
Tall grasses tremble.

This is a day for signs and omens.
Keep to the line that stretches
Toward tomorrow.
Beware the black cat
And the ladder’s shadow--
This is a time to read the lowering sky,
To shun the evil eye
And the everlasting wind
That walks with morning.

-- Sydney King Russell