The Sheltering Serpent

Poetry
Kevin Cowdall 
​

​A shadow within the shadows,
sheltering from the incessant heat
of a blistering mid-day sun under
the mantle of an overgrown shrub.
 
Loosely coiled, listless, unseen by
any humans who have to venture out, 
it disregards those who pass it by
with an unblinking indifference.
 
Only when a panting dog draws near
does it react, head and tail rising,
coils tightening; but the dog lopes by,
seeking only a cooling relief indoors.
 
It relaxes once more, coils spreading,
head settling, in to languid repose.
A shadow within the shadows,
sheltering from the incessant heat. 
​

​Kevin Cowdall was born in Liverpool, England; where he still lives and works. He developed an interest in writing at an early age and his first published poem appeared, appropriately, in the influential UK publication, ‘First Time’. In all, over 150 poems have been published in magazines, journals and anthologies, and on web sites, in the UK and across Europe, Australia, Canada, and the USA, and broadcast on local and regional BBC Radio.
He has released three previous poetry collections; ‘The Reflective Image’, ‘Monochrome Leaves’ and ‘A Walk in the Park’. His 2016 collection, ‘Assorted Bric-a-brac’ (bringing together the best from these previous collections with a selection of more recent poems), has been very well received and had excellent reviews and is available from the Kindle Store on Amazon. 
His new collection, ‘Natural Inclinations’, comprises 50 poems with a common theme of various elements of Nature / the natural world. 
Kevin is also the author of the novella, ‘Paper Gods and Iron Men’, available from the Kindle Store on Amazon. 

---