The Snake Poem by Barry Middleton

the snake is loose in the garden
it hides in the fog
from its first hiss of temptation
it beckons us

the slithering war is out of hiding
the venom and fang unleashed
men cheer for victory
and scorn a prayer for peace

the paragon of animals is not man
man plunders and hoards
man kills its own kind
man devours the earth

the ultimate predator roams
the dignity of woman is ravished
innocence is stolen
there are no more heroes

the snake has waited patiently
made to represent a demon
denigrated
it awaits a return to wings

distant swamps know evolution
the beast is as old as time
it leaps on new born legs
it gazes at the sky