( I )
From yonder
rain-filled chink in the compound wall
A long head
peeped straight with dark glistening eyes
Her long
lithe body’s dark-stripes half-hid and half-seen
Her sharp
tongue like lightning darted now and then
Her language
went above our human minds –too vague
Like foolish
chaps with anxious faces we watched
Waiting for
her to come out of her shelter dark
Some came with
long sticks to teach her a lesson
For entering the
place transgressing her bounds ;
Some came with
folded hands to show their devotion
Some stood at cautious distance
watching the show
Some mumbled prayers
to gratify the serpent-goddess;
Some dwelt on
events past with dramatic gestures
About vengeful
snakes with magical powers;
Some spoke of her huge length
by stretching hands;
Some heard her
hissing sound with dangerous portents
Some ran for
the priest to exorcise the evil creature
Some suggested a
snake-catcher’s support;
Some cursed the state for
lack of civic concern.
( I I )
Securely coiled herself in a dark crevice
The snake found
herself in a tight corner
Facing a
critical life-and –death crisis;
Not finding a
place in concrete jungle
Driven from
post to pillar, this place she found
But now to save
her own dear life from crushing sticks
She strove with
all her might and speed
Uncoiled her
length and slipped at once in dark
Like a thief
with a sense of guilty hush
Into a gutter as
people chattered in vain;
One lady
squeaked – “Snake,snake! Behold there went
Oh, not a cobra with a dark
mark on its hood
Non-poisonous type—perhaps a water-snake;
Her dark brown stripes removed our seething poison
The snake went soon unscathed in slithering curves
Far from the madding crowd with notions strange
Thanking her stars for not being beaten to death
For not being killed with blind devotion.
****************************************************
22nd August, 2018 Somaseshu Gutala
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