iguana territory .. .

it is late
wind-chill factor
colder than September
in the late, dark night
the iguana ever bolder
does not venture out

the iguana
is a solitary beast
as spies pass messages to one another
before the dawn rise
they keep each other alive
afore the firing squad arrives

under the streetlights
where the homeless sleep
in the alleys
upon park benches
under newspaper blankets
and in stiff corrugated, cardboard boxes

the iguana, a solitary animal
loses heat by night
when the sun dips low
below the horizon
and the trees that line the way
on the boulevard in the city

beneath the receding skyline

the iguana brave
does not sleep
but only rests his eyes
until the sun lifts in the sky
until he opens wide
his eyes are round in their sockets

he sees an army approaching
baboons, monkeys, apes
who came before
the iguana
who staked his claim
on their promised land?

©edenbraytoday20.06.2022