Snakes

The roses hide their thorns beneath unless they
are the thornless kind that spared St Francis
and Saint Claire from being torn by them
in yet one more Catholic miracle
I should have liked to have
known this man who
could speak to
birds and
animals
I never
thought
it fair that
the wise serpent
should be likened to satan
when for snakes I have a special
bond for without them we would be
overrun by rats and mice as we already
are by the two legged kind that pass for men
if I were a great sorcerer I’d banish greed with
the wave of my magic wand, baby frogs would praise
me from their ponds for bringing in the spring rains as
would the little children who skip through puddles merrily
all the way home soaking and soiling their clothes bought by
mommies hard earned money while dreaming of other worlds
far from here where fruit trees laden down with their treasure
bow down before the wind which ushers in the long hot summer
when most snakes will be taking secret sun bathes minding their
own business harming no one and best of all is that they do not talk
oh the glorious silence of a snake who is the little king of his own turf