ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Tale of a Snake


Consider the snake, known to us as Joe Blake,
He's friendless and armless and legless and shy.
We'll kill him on sight, but I wouldn't know why,
Please show some compassion and give him a break.

It wasn't his choice to be born as a snake,
It happened; so now he just wants to have fun.
He doesn't vote leftist, or the other one,
And doesn't burn heretics, live at the stake.

If you were a snake wouldn't you want to be
Self-actualised, tolerant, natural, free.
To other snakes, those are his virtues; you see ?

Great to shed some poetic light on the much maligned serpent.

I've always been on the side of the snake Nev. They're basically blind and deaf yet rely on their primitive reptilian senses to survive.

Once you get beyond that perfectly natural fear (of potential death) and appreciate the stark beauty of the snake . . . make sure you've got plenty of anti-venom on hand

Anyone read Kym's Trouser Snake poem? There's a lesson in that one!!

Cheers, Marty

morning Neville,

OK,I'll bite first.... where is the fourth line in stanza three? or am I missing something?

Thanks Marty, not a good idea to get up too close and personal with those Taipans up your way.


Ahh Zondrae, aren't you interested in nature ? ( check the rhyming scheme )

Marty, you must have me confused with someone else. I would never write a poem along those lines. I'm a good girl. Really.