The Lizard

Author's Note: I've always wanted to write an adventure odyssey akin to Homer's epic The Odyssey. On one of my family's many visits to my grandparents in Florida, I took special notice of the tiny lizards who would sun themselves on the sidewalk and scamper out of the way as I approached. Thus the idea and the protagonist of "The Lizard" were decided.

But more than just a tale of a lizard's journey, I wanted to envision what it was like for animals living in an environment like the retirement community, a world where Florida scrubland and pools were sometimes only separated by feet. How would humans' insertion into the natural world affect how the animals perceived themselves and consequently behaved? The final result: The Odyssey meets environmentalism, as told through the eyes of our intrepid lizard guide.

The Lizard

Awakening with the dawn heat,

the lizard scampered from the palm tree.

Using her tiny, clinging feet,

she reached the ground with ease.

.

Amidst the trimmed, fertilized grass,

a worm foraged, unsuspecting.

The lizard leaped, her fangs grasped.

The worm was slurped, while it lamented.

.

"Why must it come to this?

That I am no more than a dish?"

.

The lizard paused, halfway through its meal.

None had ever asked this question.

Though nothing for its prey, it did feel,

it offered a simple solution.

.

"The humans have driven away the insects

with their strange, foul-tasting powders.

Most of them are now carcasses, dead.

None come here; they feast on the humans’ flowers."

.

"Why not then go there?

And what’s left of me spare?"

"A fine idea," the lizard said,

as she sucked the rest down her gullet.

.

The trek was a far one,

past streams, trees, sidewalks, and streets.

But as the ground baked in the afternoon sun,

she reached the fence around the garden, her greatest feat.

.

Pausing in the lawn to soak in some warmth,

for lizard’s blood can make no heat,

her movements awoke a sleeping serpent,

who hissed with hungry glee.

.

Fangs exploded from the grass stalks.

The lizard barely managed to dodge.

Fighting back, she sunk her teeth into its tail,

but it coiled about her, leaving only room to flail.

.

The lizard spoke, "Why must it come to this?

Me a lizard, you a snake: we are brothers.

Can you think of no other way, fellow reptile?

I can see another."

.

"Ha!" The snake spat.

"You speak as if that means something.

The humans killed the mice and rats,

though I was just as good at hunting.

We both thought the pests should go,

but it is me they now call 'foe.'"

.

While the snake balked,

it failed to spy,

swooping from the sky,

a red-tailed hawk.

.

In a flash, the death grip loosened,

the lizard breathing in a mouthful of air.

High above, talons tightened,

as piercing yellow eyes met the snake’s stare.

.

Far below, the lizard heard

the serpent’s final words.

Bitterly, it did lament,

as it was carried to a certain end.

.

"You think you’ve won.

Earned yourself a kill.

But humans steal all they can,

and from you they certainly will."

.

"The humans protect us," the hawk replied.

"With them, our enemies are few.

Yes, it seems they favor us

over the likes of you."

.

Thinking no more of it,

the lizard scaled the fence with ease.

The sight before her, she did covet:

insects, as far as the eye could see.

.

For many a day, the lizard stayed,

feasting on the garden’s cornucopia.

Many a creature, she found, had made

the place their new utopia.

.

And so, another animal was drawn

into the corrupted land.

Another servant of nature

bent to the whims of Man.