Rattlesnakes Hammered on the Wall

By Ray Gonzalez b. 1952 Ray Gonzalez

Seven of them pinned in blood by

long, shiny tails, three of them still

alive and writhing against the wood,

their heaviness whipping the wall

as they try to break free,

rattles beating in unison,

hisses slowly dying in silence,

the other four hanging stiff

like ropes to another life,

patterns of torn skin dripping

with power and loss, the wonder

of who might have done this

turning in shock as all seven

suddenly come alive when

I get closer, pink mouths

trembling with white fangs,

lunging at me then falling back,

entangled in one another to form

twisted letters that spell a bloody

word I can’t understand.

Source: Consideration of the Guitar: New and Selected Poems (BOA Editions Ltd., 2005)

Biography

Poet, essayist, and editor Ray Gonzalez was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. Gonzalez’s work is inextricably linked to his Mexican ancestry and American upbringing in the deserts of the Southwest, as well as to rock n’ roll music and mid-century American poets such as Robert Bly and James Wright. A long-time professor at the University of Minnesota, Gonzalez has spoken to the importance of place in his work: “I do not have to . . .

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