"Silent Visitors"

they come without a sound
creeping into our space
our flowering Angel Patch
our cabin our woods

they don't even rustle
the leaves on the woods floor
or the glue traps in the cabin
for our ears to detect

the Aliens Scouts made more noise
when they walked around the woods
looking over the Alien Self Parking Area
where they will land their fleet of ships

Gypsy found one snake in the Angel Patch
when she dug a hole in the rocky ground
to fend off the afternoon heat
for a much needed nap

the Smooth Green Snake she found
buried deep in the ground
didn't have a chance
to escape her grip

I tried to save it
by putting it outside her fenced area
it returned and was in her mouth again
I removed it again still hoping

I did not see it again
so maybe it survived her grasp
unlike the lizards
who live in the Angel Patch wood piles

she spent the morning
playing with our first
baby squirrels of the year
born inside the mattress in the smoke house

the centipede on the bathroom floor
got stuck on the glue trap
which slowed it down enough
for me to wound it, pick it up, and flush

Carpenter ants and wasps and hornets
are still finding our bunkhouse
which is nearly ready for
its first guests to enjoy?

The good thing about this is
the bad guys are outside
where Carlos my organic pest control guy
can find them

We will continue to be alert
for the arrival of still more critters
who share our love
of the Texas Hill Country