The sour smell of sweat
lingers in the metal tube
where ants scurry to their seats,
governed by a muffled voice
that echoes down the throat
of a scaleless snake.
He slivers down a parallel path
adorned by fuzzy green
that clings to walls and telegraph poles.
Sunlight gleams off every leaf,
as if the trees bare gold
instead of seeds.
Wild grasses crowned
with floppy pink and purple hats,
wave in a gentle breeze
that cannot sway the riders
who travel in
the belly of the beast.