Old Tom's Dts

Old Tom crawled out of his home hole Beneath the tavern on the square When I was only ten years old And dared not see what was not there. He told me Main Street had a snake And raved about its uncoiled size. I watched him tremble, piss and shake At hissing deep beneath his eyes. But I was ten, too young to see That every caring has its cost. The serpent was not real for me-- It had been bred from what Tom lost.