The Local

Climbing the narrow walking path,
The Local points to where
the crop circle appeared last year,
says he met some Americans like us,
last year, who were here from Kansas,
who said they made the journey near
the Summer Solstice, like us, to be closer
to the UFO's that seem more frequent
in warmer weather.
His companion checks out the Neolithic
burial chamber we were climbing
to see, says, "It's walking into the woman's
vagina, that is, the mound opening.
Each of the interior cavities represents
different parts of her body: the arms, legs
and head." I was tempted to ask,
"What about the glass windows in
the antechambers? Are they mirrors to
the soul or what?"
But I bite my tongue.
Questions might spoil The Local's monologue
about Crop Circles, UFO Landings
International Conspiracies, Cover Ups,
and all that good stuff. He's into juicy
stuff like, "Silbury Hill is a landing area
for space ships & other UFO's.
Everyone around here knows that,
all this stuff about a shaft collapse
during the last monsoon is just government
nonsense." When he notices my hearing aid,
he knows I'm listening but he can't be sure
to what, or, whom I might represent
and backs away, tongue tied now,
fearing the worst.