Sunil Sharma- A Poem

A snake monologue on unanswered queries

And why do they dread us, the two-legged creatures?

Why do they panic?

A slithering, scaly body and beady eyes?

OK.

We carry venom, you say, that is why.

OK. Got it.

We kill, if provoked/threatened---our survival tactic in the wilds.

My question is for the dear humans: From where do you get your inner poison?

Why do you maraud and kill of your own ilk?

Why these barbs that tend to maim and leave scars permanently?

The ancient Egyptians

The Vedic Indians

And many lost tribes

Worshipped serpents as things holy.

Cleopatra carried a live one in case of an emergency; the Pharaohs used us as royal emblem.

We adorn the blue neck of the Lord Shiva of the Hindus.

These days, the urban folks, disconnected with nature, go into a paroxysm

Seeing mortality in a snake! Dead snakes further terrify.

Hollywood took us on a plane and scared everybody.

You abuse us by calling another human as a deadly snake.

You are silly!

We stand for self-renewal, transformation, wisdom and primal energy.

We balance the natural elements expertly

We are sensitive to vibrations, air and sky.

That is why the simple tribals worship us as their totems.

Let me say, we are mortally frightened of you guys talking of missiles and colonies on Mars,

Humans---in our tiny eyes:

The most lethal predators, out to kill our endangered species worldwide,