Snake 101

Since the Garden of Eden and Cleopatra,
snakes strike great fear in man
I have it—ophidiophobia---
legless lizards equal repulsion
 
Slithering, sliding as they move
something about friction and scales
like goose bumps on human flesh
more than I want to know
 
Little known fact learned
three hundred vertebrae, one reptile
they can scrunch up like an accordion
Slinky has nothing on the snake
 
Zoology teacher forced me to touch
disgusting...scaly info to psyche
rubbery, stretchy outside insides
that red-eyed yellow python plagued my sleep
 
Here’s the point—abnormal fear or not
 
God created the reptile
rattlesnake eats rats, field mice
homes under rocks in deserts, mountains
concealed, fearing human contact
 
Travel to Georgia or Oklahoma…
Rattlesnake Roundups held
oh yes, let’s  kill some rattlers
buy a permit, slaughter as many…
 
Find their hiding, jerk them up
drop them in a sack writhing with twelve more
rattler chasers claim fun to kill
find the longest, fattest
 
Kill by decapitation 
drop in the freezer alive
look later…freeze dried snake
eat a snake steak…tastes like chicken
 
Why search them out
leave them alone
No rattlesnake boots, head bands...
Yes, stand up for the reptiles!
Optional © 2 years ago, Carol Davis

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