Morning Encounter
I
Its body moved like a freshly
poured viscous black ooze through
a carpet of fresh spring grass.
Common to the area and many
a backyard garden, it caught my eye
not so much by its length, short
of three feet, nor by the sheen
of its onyx-like skin, rather by
the grotesque bulge midway between
its head and tail – a fresh kill,
a small rabbit or rodent probably –
adding little drag to its glide.
The sudden tenseness that gripped me
when first sighted had loosened,
my heartbeats reduced to near normal.
II
Watching it slither off I began
speculating about the unwary victim’s
final moments, likely foraging only
inches away perhaps, the snake
hidden under layers of fallen leaves,
its body coiled in waiting, silently
reeved up to strike when the distance
between life and death ensured
a sure strike. At that moment, it was
all or nothing, now or never,
the snake uncoiling with the speed
of a bullet, lashing itself securely
around the hapless creature’s
struggling body, compressing
its supple frame ever tighter into
a compact mass of fur and bones,
its breathing and cries cut off
until all struggling ceased.
III
With its jaws unhinged, its mouth
enlarged, it slowly advanced over
the victim’s nose, head, and body
until only a pair of tiny feet –
which might have sprung its life
into another day – disappeared.
Copyright ©
Maurice Rigoler
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