Come Hither, Slither
Reflections of our inner reptilian self
Another poem from my friend Erika Heier…
Come Hither, Slither
The serpent is hiding in waiting
He lurks in a cave of unkindness
If you close your eyes and be still
you will hear its bone chilling shrill
A great hiss now wakes up with fresh newness
At first, this serpent moves slowly
Writhes around on the ground
Proudly believes he is regal, all knowing
He cannot wait till
he eats, to gain the strength that he needs
to begin Earth’s massive destruction
Serpent, I have heard your hissing before
I have heard you opening and closing my doors
You are there at the window
As I stand before you akimbo
I have become a stranger in the glass
Of reflection
It is I, who after all, is this serpent
I bring my hand to my now fading
Familiar expression
My eyes, nose and mouth disappearing
I look into the mirror
As I see your metamorphosis into existence
The serpent I now see, has always been me
In horror, I sink to my knees
My arms and legs now disappear
I no longer have a head full of hair
This snake I have become
Is angry and dumb
I now search for a sharp stone
To hone my forked tongue
I slither and search for my needs
My insatiable needing for more false needs
I move swiftly to find you, to divide you
To strike you, with poison
That comes swiftly from my strike
My venom, courses through your veins
I see your once human spine shrink into a reptile vertebrae
A serpent with scales
I no longer see hands, feet and nails
Your eyes become yellow with spite
I have now found a mate to coerce with
To laugh and mock others without purpose
Our hissing becoming louder
We slither now faster
Down life’s dirty lane of great pain and despondence
Serpents forked tongues hiss wicked words
So insane, so hurtful, so tasteless
If we continue to strike others, we all fast become brothers
As we all crawl into our snake holes of certain death and despair
Oh reader please heed this brief poem
Lest you find yourself isolated, alone
This serpent becomes you,
It fast becomes me
If we insist on waging war with our tongues
A harsh truth, a surprising reminder
To take pause and to always be kinder
To close our mouths and give in
To a love deep within
The lesson of this serpent to ponder
More poetry from Erika…
