I do not take kindly
to being called a river demon
or devil-beast.
You should show me respect.
I have survived
the fall of the dinosaurs
and the great flood.
I will even survive
the blazing heat
that will scorch your world.
Know that the sacred waters
are my domain:
drink from them at your peril.
But if you are lucky enough
to know me,
you may call me grandmother,
for your ancestors
hatched from my egg.
Brett Dix has a Master’s degree in English literature from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and has taught at the university for approximately nine years. He is currently working on a collection of poems, which he hopes to publish soon.