Under the lotus plants he lies, in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh. For his shade the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him. – Job 40:21-24

You may listen to me read the poem via the player below.

I wonder if Monet ever thought
That among the two hundred and fifty
Paintings of water lilies that he caught 
Something more than his pond in Giverny--
That lurking beneath the pond’s surface, there
Might be something in the edge’s dark hues,
A hiding hippopotamus somewhere,
Silent in the shade of deep greens and blues?
And I wonder if the leaning into
The beauty of that place with a palette knife
Whether Behemoth rose up, charged, broke through 
The still surface with the terrors of life:
His mother dying or his wife's last breath,
To swallow him again in grief and death?

© Randall Edwards 2021

Artwork: Claude Monet, “Le Bassin aux nymphéas, harmonie vert”