A TRIBUTE TO QUETZALCOATL

Quetzalcoatl (Dan Staten)

The concept of Quetzalcoatl — an Aztec serpent god adorned with feathers rather than scales, and gifted with the ability to soar majestically through the heavens without needing wings — is one that has long fascinated me, so it was inevitable that sooner or later I would attempt to capture the wonder of this spectacular ophidian deity in verse.

A TRIBUTE TO QUETZALCOATL

Green feathered serpent like Heaven’s liana,

Plumes of bright malachite, jasper, and jade,

Furled in bright flourishes, dazzling in glory,

Verdurous rays borne on emerald blades.

And, as you gleam in your jewel-clustered temple,

Coils gliding over your tributes of gold,

Ruby eyes glow with the flames of the cosmos,

Deadly yet passionate, blazing but cold.

Now, as your lightning-forked tongue flickers brightly,

Sibilant breath hissing softly and long,

Bowing before you in rapt veneration

Kneel your disciples in reverent throngs.

Yet, do you laugh at these weak, puny mortals,

Scuttling like ants in the fire of your gaze,

Shielding their eyes in the depths of your shadow —

Turquoise and terrible, willing their praise?

Quetzalcoatl — reptilian idol,

Soaring through Space like a radiant stream.

Aztec divinity, ageless, eternal —

Incarnate god, or a deified dream?

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