“…Two lizards doing push-ups in the sun.”
-–Coreen Knox
She admires desert reptiles for their daily calisthenics.
They do countless repetitions of anaerobic blinks.
They warm up with mysterious tricks to color-match themselves
to the hues of sun baked rocks in the pale dry dirt.
With elbows bent they flex their well-toned tongues.
Their biceps are modest but their stamina is muscular.
Maintaining steady respiration,
they do not sweat.
Unmoved by the notion of six-pack abs, they never preen.
They find motivation in instincts more basic than vanity.
They demonstrate indifference to the gaze of this woman
who squats nearby to admire their physiques.
Immune to her pheromones,
their cold blood fails to stir.
Their stoic strength inspires her to stand finally,
smiling, and lift the weightless sky.
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