They hide in darkness, away from light
They crawl into algal blooms not so bright
They prey on vermins and thoughts alike
Yet they’re despised, feared and hunted alive,
Have you seen those slithery scales
They shine so bright,
Those reptilian eyes…
Chills the spines and induces fright
But are they evil, are they dark,
Or different! that is what they are
They smell with their tongue
Devoid of limbs…
Venom is the only defence they have,
And they shed their skins.
Afraid and fascinated I am,
Perhaps so much that I imagine them everywhere…
What if life is serpentine?
Slithering through hope, despair and loss
What if death is serpentine?
Hunting us down, without much fuss
Have you seen good times?
Crawling into our lives,
Waiting patiently to devour our joy
and strengthen its venom…
Have you seen dejection?
Piercing our heart with its ancient fangs
Bleeding us to death, digesting our flesh
Swallowing us like that helpless rodent,
Paralyzed by neurotoxin.
Have you seen loss?
Wrapping around us with its scaly muscles
Stretching its jawless mouth,
Engulfing us like eggs
Crushing us from within, extracting our contents
And then only the shell is regurgitated
Shell of a living dead paradox
A man eaten up by loss and failure.
Have you seen your loved ones burn
And scattered their ashes over the river
They say its oriental salvation
But I have seen those ashes
Take serpentine form and slither over the water
Away from they ones they were once a part of
Away from the world where they lived
Away from everything that they knew
Artists draw cupids to personify love,
But what if it is an hooded cobra
Wiggling slowing in our lives,
Poisoning us to attachment
And then claim us, to join the others over the river
We all are bounded to the cosmic snake
One who slithers over galaxies
One who sticks it’s tongue out to taste the stars
The world moves along with him
Constantly changing its course,
Unaware of what lies ahead
Guided by astral aromas…
The Bong Chronicles 