Humans and Nature

Limón deeply considers the ethical concerns in how humans relate to nature in her poem “Cyrus & the Snakes.” Through the speaker’s present-day observations as well as her memories, she formulates that it is possible for humans to engage in respectful and caring relationships with other natural creatures and beings. The image of Cyrus holding a snake before returning it safely to its place of belonging encapsulates these notions of care and respect. Overall, this poem presents an interconnectedness between humans and other beings in nature.

When the speaker praises her brother’s encounter with the snake, she contrasts this with the historical ways in which humans have related to nature. The notion of harm (whether intentional or unintentional) appears in the speaker’s memories. Firstly, the speaker recalls inadvertently killing a developing chick when childhood curiosity motivated her and Cyrus to crack...