Stone Wall by Ronald Moran

Scoffing advice from any landscaper,
my father built a low stone wall
separating the part of our lot in back
that swooped down toward patches
of scrub and a creek from our slim
run of grass, when snakes began
sunning themselves on his newly
laid rocks during hot summer days:

copperheads and blacksnakes often
lying next to each other, sometimes
touring the flat area of our backyard,
boldly impervious to any restrictions
my father thought might obtained if he
built the wall with no help whatsoever.



Ronald Moran has published poems in a number of journals, including Asheville Poetry Review, Evening Street Review, North American Review, Northwest Review, Tar River Poetry, and Yankee. His last six books of poetry were published by Clemson University Press. He lives in Simpsonville, SC.