The Cobra And The Mongoose
“Tell me mongoose why are you trying to steal my eggs? ”
“Well, I’ve not eaten for weeks and I’m dying on my legs.”
“Don’t you realise that very soon these eggs will be my children? ”
“But you have so many and you won’t miss nine or ten.”
“How wrong you are mongoose I’ll miss every one of them.”
“Well tell me cobra, are you prepared to die for just ten? ”
“Mongoose, I am a mother and for only the one I would die.”
“Why are you swaying Cobra, and is that a tear in your eye? ”
“Aren’t you feeling sleepy mongoose, you do have heavy eyes? ”
“I know what you’re doing cobra, you’re trying to hypnotise.”
“For your information mongoose, I’m doing my cobra dance,
it’s a dance of magic, which gives my enemies no chance.
Don’t think that I can’t see you mongoose trying to circle around me,
first in one direction, and then the other so tactically.
I must warn you mongoose that I have a bite that can instantly kill,
and if you don’t die straight away, moments later you will.”
I’ve heard about your bite cobra, but you don’t frighten me,
I have the thickest skin and coarsest hair, as ever you’ll see.
I also must warn you cobra that my teeth are as sharp as swords,
and combined with my agility I will have the last words.”
“Well, if I were you mongoose I would leave while you can…
unless you want to be the cause of my indigestion.”
“I was thinking cobra, you and your eggs would just be my fill,
and now that only leaves the formality of the kill.”
For hours and hours the pair did spar and fight,
throughout the day and throughout the night.
The mongoose went close and the cobra did strike,
but not one had yet applied the decisive bite.
Both were aching and tiring, and their sharpness was wearing thin.
The mongoose considered one last attack then he would pack it in.
With a last almighty effort the mongoose jumped as high as he could,
after somersaulting in the air it buried its teeth below the cobra’s hood.
This bite severed the cobra’s spine and instantly killed the snake,
but the mongoose bit once again to make sure of no mistake.
It then bit off and swallowed the cobra’s once swaying head,
but the fangs of the cobra punctured its stomach, it too was dead.
poem by Orlando Belo
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Related quotes
The cobra will bite you whether you call it cobra or Mr. Cobra.
The Real Thing
A mongoose can smile at a cobra
But that cobra will always be a snake
Diamante can shine like a diamond
But you know, like I know
That rock will be fake
Its the real thing
The real thing
Nothing but the real thing
Its real
You can xerox the mona lisa
Deadpan da vinci in every detail
Might beat customs on a home-made visa
But false papers
Only gets you in jail
Its the real thing
The real thing
Nothing but the real thing
Its real
Life wears a smile on its face
But it comes with a sting in its tail
Make believe fables have their place
But only a fool. only a fool
Believes fairy tales
I heard all the lies that they tell ya
phone me baby. the cheques in the mail
Well as fantasy. it may please ya
As the real thing
It does nothing but fail
Its the real thing
The real thing
Nothing but the real thing
Its real
Its the real thing
The real thing
Nothing but the real thing
Its real
song performed by by Abc
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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An Enemy LIfe Long!
Cat and rat
Are enemies life long like
Mongoose and snake!
poem by Ramesh T A
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Endless Vacation
I kill myself kill the pain
a suicide death a suicide game
my skull he's bleaching in the dust
my rage turns to insane lust
all depressed all alone
I drift into the danger zone
deadly spitten cobra life of crime
I want revenge I want what's mine
like takin' Carrie to the high school prom
something always goin' wrong
hair trigger temper tormented mind
deadly spitten cobra I am the losin' kind
the heart is the place devils congregate
when you're raised on andiet of bickering at hate
hair trigger temper tormented mind
deadly spitten cobra I am the losin' kind
endless vacation
endless vacation
endless vacation
song performed by by Ramones from Too Tough To Die
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In-convenience
Very early in the morning we were woken from our sleep,
We were going on safari, being driven in a jeep,
We went out before our breakfast, we went out before sunrise,
We went out before the sleep had fully vanished from our eyes.
We had to dress quite quickly, and we went out in a rush,
And after we'd been driving through miles and miles of bush
For an hour or two (I have to say forgive the way I speak) ,
But - the roads were very bumpy - I was dying for a leak.
The driver stopped the jeep and kindly offered us a drink,
But it might have been more kind if he had only paused to think;
We had seen a herd of elephants, some vultures in the sky,
Several wildebeest and zebra, a hyena passing by,
Giraffes, a pair of ostriches, a buffalo or two,
And we'd taken lots of photographs (well, that's what tourists do) :
We had even seen some lions lazing underneath a tree,
But... we hadn't seen a toilet... and I really had to pee.
Beside a water-hole at last we found a pair of loos,
And I hurried to the gents', 'cause that's the one I have to use.
Yes, I went up to the gentlemen's, and pushed the door ajar,
But I didn't push it hard, and it didn't open far.
There was something in the way, you see. I did a double-take,
For it looked just like a tail, the last six inches of a snake.
I decided not to panic - I'm not that sort of bloke,
And it could have been a rubber one, left there for a joke -
So I pushed the door wide open, to be sure of no mistake,
And what should I clap eyes on but two yards of living snake!
... I closed the door, quite firmly, and went to tell the guide,
'I was going to the loo, but then I found a snake inside.'
He didn't quite believe me, but he went across to check.
- Not just a snake, a cobra! - 'Gosh, ' I thought, and 'Flipping Heck.'
For the snake looked very supple, and the snake looked very strong,
And if it would uncurl itself, the snake looked very long,
And a cobra's bite is savage, and a cobra's bite is quick,
And if that snake had bitten me, I'd be feeling rather sick.
'It might even be a spitter, judging by the size,
'So don't you go too close, and please be careful of your eyes.'
But I had to take a photograph, for that's what tourists do,
And, warily, I took a snap of the cobra in the loo.
The driver wrote a notice 'Danger, Big Big Snake Inside',
And the lady with the first-aid box took out of it with pride
A strip of sticking plaster to stick it to the door,
To tell anyone who came, there was a cobra on the floor.
By now the snake was moving, it was climbing up the wall;
It hid behind the cistern, and could not be seen at all;
It came down again, and wrapped itself around the waste-pipe neatly,
Then slithered right into the pan and disappeared completely.
Now I was on a mission to tell others what I'd seen,
But I was very conscious of the fact I'd Still Not Been!
So in that situation, though most times I wouldn't dare,
When I found the ladies' empty, I quickly popped in there.
So if you see a man who's coming from the ladies' loos,
Please don't jump to conclusions, he might have a good excuse,
- 'I went to spend a penny, for my need was quite intense,
'And I had to use the ladies' - there's a cobra in the gents'! '
poem by Paul Hansford
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I had a cat and my lovely cat was ill
I had a cat and my lovely cat was ill
It was admitted in hospital for treatment,
Previous day it fought with a cobra to kill,
The cobra suddenly escaped to save but died,
It moves around my house to kill the snakes,
And it is just like a tiger and guards my house,
My children always play with it and feed it cakes,
Alas! why is it not recovered but died?
Dead body of my cat is put on sofa and all wept,
Why, pretty thing! could you not live with us all?
One by one all kissed it and sadly said it has slept,
If it is not seen at home tiger, tiger we used to call,
Alas1 with a bur-i-al ceremony in a grave it is kept,
All wept and wept and said, what a sweet fall!
poem by INDIA Mazid S Kazi
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Before And After Marriage!
Before marriage
Lovers are like finger and nail
After marriage
They become like snake and mongoose
And then they become Sky and Earth!
poem by Ramesh T A
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Encounter with a Rinkhals
It was lying on the ground
turned on its back
with its black-brown
body shining and mouth agape
and looked like dead
and I could see
yellow-white bands ringing
the top of its torso.
Still something in that lifeless
ring necked spitting cobra
scared the living daylight
out of me
and like a lightning bolt
the death-shamming snake
shot upright spreading its hood
and hissing loudly.
Luck was on my side
when that evil reptile
spat at my eyes
and its venimous spray
splattered my glasses.
One moment it looked dead
and the next
it was viciously alive
and struck out at me,
but missed me by a mile.
[Reference: “The Rinkhals also called the Ringhals or Ring-necked Spitting Cobra (Hemachatus haemachatus) is a venomous elapid found in parts of southern Africa. It is one of a group of cobras that has developed the ability to spit venom as a defence mechanism.” Wikipedia.]
poem by Gert Strydom
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Inorder Not To Be Bitten...
the cobra looks at you
do not move just stand still
it cannot detect you
and won't bite because at this perspective
you are
non-existent
it is like all the realities around us
do not talk do not move and behave as though you do not exist at all
and there will be no biting
no casualty
like a pillar of the house
like the railways of the train
like the big tree along our paths
like the unmoving
sun...
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Gap
ENVY not
those who are busy,
and acclaimed
by the hands of the masses,
they have their own
problems with
fame
they too have the problems
of their money
a gap
of self from self
a hollow space
in between
behind the masks
are the limping insecurities
success is always short
and failure is not
far behind
it is a matter of time
soon
a mouth that opens
with fangs and
deadly venom
a cobra always waiting for the
right bite
at the right time
even if you were
the wrong person
so please envy not
the proud and the
laughing
gas.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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The Poison of Cobra
She has bitten me so many times
With the poison of cobra
Still I love her so much
Still I need her so much
Still I want her so much
I need something to breakthrough
The world of sorrow.
poem by Asif Andalib
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The Rinkhals in Muckleneuk Ridge
We were living in the mansion
in Muckleneuk Ridge
when Heinrich wheeled the
rubbish bin out to the street
to leave it for the collectors,
and the red haired neighbour woman
started to shout at him.
I was just getting out of my Volkswagen Polo
and within a minute I was there
like a avenging angel,
telling her to leave the boy alone
and that the pavement
doesn’t belong to her
and that we have got the right
to put out the rubbish bin
for the rubbish collectors.
She got red with anger in her face,
hissed like a snake trying to spit
and cursed me in English
and I told her to get lost.
That woman was aquatically
quite funny and always dressed
in a track suit,
(as if she had no other
type of clothes)
living in a dilapidated house
like a hermit
with rusting sink plate roof
and weeds standing knee high
in her garden
in that rich man’s neighbourhood.
It was when the dogs
tried to catch a half grown coucal
which the wind had blown
out of its nest
and I jumped down the steps
of some terraces
to rescue the poor thing
and I and that wild bird
got to love each other
and it would start to scream
with excitement as soon
as it heard my car
coming near
that Heinrich trapped a venomous
ring-neck spitting cobra
in our garden
and I wanted to kill it
and you said
that even snakes
have a right to live.
I told you that the snake
was apt to kill somebody
as I was leaving for work
and you took the kids
to let it free in the field,
(or so I was told) ,
but a few days later
that utterly rude woman
was really surprised
and screamed for her life
when a snake hissed at her
spitting in her eyes.
[Rinkhals = ring-neck spitting cobra.]
poem by Gert Strydom
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A Tom & Jerry Story Ever!
Tom and Jerry my son and daughter have become;
Like snake and mongoose they fight everyday!
Which side to support it is impossible to decide as
Both are balancing with each other for and against!
With entirely different interests they go as extremists
Not only in studies but also in work and life it seems!
How to bridge the gap between them is a predicament
How are we going to deal with is beyond our scope now!
Impatient they have become by specialised education;
Pinnacle of glory they feel they have got by education!
By education have they become complete citizens at all?
Even after professional education they are just kids only!
When there is no link between science and humanities
How can Tom and Jerry become ice and fruit cherry?
poem by Ramesh T A
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Meaw With Cats
For public interest I have
No objection to meaw with cats.
If dogs are with thief
I have nothing to afraid of.
I have no objection to kill the cobra
With ants harmful to society.
poem by Gajanan Mishra
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The Identification
Camel knows about the desert
but nothing about the tent.
Shark knows about the ocean
but scares of dolphins.
Bird knows about the sky
but never been to sun &moon.
Snake knows about the earth
but villain is the mongoose.
And the big-headed man too
knows about everything,
secret whisper in the desert
depth of the ocean
length & breadth of the vast sky
mysterious earth.
The intellectual boasts
from the top floors of the universities
but he knows very few
about the attractive, fragile and sensitive
Womankind!
and never understand her mind?
poem by Nimal Dunuhinga
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Sonnet- The Devils Join Forces
A bunch of Snakes engage one poor Mongoose!
A pack of Wolves are after just one Sheep!
There is no fairness in the game they choose;
Their hearts are filled with ill-will, that too deep.
They attack now in concerted, a way,
Forgetting their diff’rences for a while;
Perhaps, they yearn for awaited 'hey-day’,
They scan each letter in my personal file.
They have to search the dictionary so oft!
They pool their worldly wisdoms to hatch-plot;
The words of John Celes flow from his heart!
God gives him great courage to do his part.
The risk is high but God is Poet's Friend;
All know that Truth will triumph in the end.
5-11-2001 by Dr John Celes
poem by John Celes
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Love's abracadabra
I have spelled out love's abracadabra
To take the gem from head of a cobra
I am playing the pipe to make her dance
I am dancing with her in wild romance
I have broken her fang to tame her now
She has become as good as a pet cow
I have touched her head with my magic wand
In order to make real my sweet dreamland
Thus I have turned her into a woman
Now she has become my favorite fan
poem by Asif Andalib
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A Character
Sometimes how our sable heinous deeds,
Stifle conscience, hush inner voices,
Lead to the zones of perpetual night.
I recall a character killer of father,
Walked he erect headed, puffed with pride,
With thrust chest, arrogant gestures,
Debashed face with stiff moustaches,
Twisted up like incensed mongoose tail,
When bites into the neck with sharp teeth,
And fights against the venomous serpent.
Had he a game-bird in rough hands,
Wrapped with scented silky handkerchief,
Among friends he promptly boasted of,
The condemned deed of patricide
poem by Muhammad Shanazar
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Lion's den
If you are staying
With a wicked man
If you are living
With a wicked man
If you are making
Friendship with wicked man
Be sure you are walking
In to the lion's den.
Wicked man is dangerous
Wicked man is more
Dangerous than a snake
Wicked man is more poisonous
Than a cobra the most
Poisonous snake of the world
You may survive from snake bite
But you can not survive from
The clutches of a wicked man
You will die in his den.
poem by Gajanan Mishra
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Tiger, My Expired Dog.
Tiger, tiger, I mourn thy death,
even after forty years hence,
You were my friend and lover,
Keeping out thieves, animals
Out of our farmhouse, all the time,
Till you left me, since another
One was added to be your friend,
Which you could not bear,
Due to jealousy, since the love
You feared will be shared,
And you took to the streets,
Leaving us alone, making
Us hate, the other one Brownie,
We waited for you day and night,
To your return, which you never did,
And was run over by a truck.
We think of you how you saved
Me from a cobra's bite, by your
Timely attack from behind
And visit your place of rest
Where we buried you forever.
Ravikiran Arakkal
poem by Ravikiran Arakkal
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