Two salamanders are crossing the North
Border Road. Sluggish and indifferent, they
Creep under the borderline barbed wire. I stop
The patrol. Above the ravines and fields,
Silence suddenly drops for a moment: we watch
Their orange backs, a poison color, their tails
Striped black, and their evil aura darkens
The morning light. I feel the danger,
And give an order, but even helmets and
Bullet-proof vests can't help when your terrain
abruptly explodes: in the orange glow
I can see the creatures: evasive, lazy, innocent,
As if they don't carry on their backs
Marks of fear and mortal hints.

translated from Hebrew by
the author and poet Ward Kelley