Snake

Big fat and solid black
A Snake stopped my feet
My mind couldn't move
Stuck in ancient shock
That froze my body still

I had no choice
My feet were stopped
By a short loop that had
No patience for pondering
It already knew the answer
To the old question that
Slithered across the ground

When my mind
Joined the party
It said 'there are no
Venomous snakes here'
It also said 'there are
No black snakes here either'
My mind wants to know
What is it – what’s its name
Why is it so fat and so black

I could feel the
Chemicals in my body
Loosen their grip
Surprise was disappearing
As my mind was leading
Me away from old feelings
Of helplessness and fear

Where did the snake go
Why have I never seen one
In 18 years of walking here
As I am given a safe picture
Of the snake by my mind

Feeling fear less and then less
As seconds pass – I realize
How close I just stood
To long ago man
Some things change so slowly