Poets United Midweek Motif ~ World Snake Day

“Snake looks scary for us and we look scary for the snake! 

Always try to see yourself from the eyes of others!” 
― Mehmet Murat ildan

Orianne Society





Midweek Motif ~ World Snake Day



Your Challenge: 
Honor snakes in a poem. 



Have you any snake stories...  

2.5 minutes of this! or more.

...or snake beliefs? 

Shiva absorbed in meditation, as depicted commonly
in Hinduism with a snake around his neck.

• Horned serpent, Native American sculpture, PD US
• Smithsonian, By FREDERICK WEBB HODGE, EDITOR

Wikipedia is helpful with articles for  Snakes, Reptiles, and Herpetology.  YouTube has more in documentary, song and home video.

Snakes appear in Art and in Fiction.

1870s vinegar valentine snake proposal declined.jpg

Poetic Inspiration:

The Envoy

BY JANE HIRSHFIELD

One day in that room, a small rat.
Two days later, a snake.

Who, seeing me enter,

whipped the long stripe of his   

body under the bed,

then curled like a docile house-pet.

. . . . (read the rest HERE at The Poetry Foundation.)

Snake

BY DANNIE ABSE

When the snake bit   

Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa   

while he was praying

the snake died. (Each day   

is attended by surprises   

or it is nothing.)

Question: was the bare-footed,   

smelly Rabbi more poisonous   

than the snake

. . . . (read the rest HERE.)

• from Antony and Cleopatra by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

• 
  
•  Cleopatra.                             Come, thou 
  mortal wretch, [To an asp, which she applies to her breast] 3765
  With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate
  Of life at once untie: poor venomous fool
  Be angry, and dispatch. O, couldst thou speak,
  That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass
  Unpolicied!3770

• Charmian. O eastern star!

• Cleopatra. Peace, peace!
  Dost thou not see my baby at my breast,
  That sucks the nurse asleep?

• Charmian. O, break! O, break!3775

• Cleopatra. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle,— 
• 
  
  ~

 Please:  

1.      Post your Poem to Honor Snakes on your site, and then link it here.

2.      Share only original and new work written for this challenge. 

3.      Leave a comment here.

4.      Honor our community by visiting and commenting on others' poems.

(Next Week's Midweek Motif will be Le Tour de France )

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