A Fable
Securely sunning in a forest glade,
A mild, well-meaning snake
Approved the adaptations he had made
For safety’s sake.
He liked the skin he had—
Its mottled camouflage, its look of mail,
And was content that he had thought to add
A rattling tail.
The tail was not for drumming up a fight;
No, nothing of the sort.
And he would only use his poisoned bite
As last resort.
A peasant now drew near,
Collecting wood; the snake, observing this,
Expressed concern by uttering a clear
But civil hiss.
The simple churl, his nerves at once unstrung,
Mistook the other’s tone
And dashed his brains out with a deftly-flung
Pre-emptive stone.
Moral
Security, alas, can give
A threatening impression;
Too much defense-initiative
Can prompt aggression.
poem by Richard Wilbur
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
Sonnet: My Good Shepherd
God made me a just a ‘Lamb’, so meek and mild,
And placed me in a world of wolves and snake;
I know I cannot cope on in the wild,
But still, I graze His meadow for His sake!
I know I could fall victim of some ‘beast’!
My Good Shepherd always remains with me;
I must spruce up for His Heavenly Feast;
I eat His grass and leaves, innocently!
And other dangers lurk around, I know;
Some terrains look quite perilous to me;
To my Shepherd, my safety, health, I owe;
He watches over me so Masterly!
And many times, He saved me from Death’s jaws!
I’ve learnt to keep myself quite clean to paws.
1-19-2000 by Dr John Celes
Dedicated to my most revered father
Shri. A.T.Antoniswami M.A., L.T., (late)
Coimbatore, T.N., INDIA
On his birthday
and
Published in the IRT PMC & H, Perundurai,
College Magazine
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Adder
The adder is a British fish -
I'm sorry, I mean snake!
The error's one I've made and wish
I hadn't for its sake:
It drowned quite quickly for a fish,
Though slowly for a snake.
poem by South Westerner
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
October
O hushed October morning mild, Thy leaves have ripened to the fall; Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild, Should waste them all. The crows above the forest call; Tomorrow they may form and go. O hushed October morning mild, Begin the hours of this day slow. Make the day seem to us less brief. Hearts not averse to being beguiled, Beguile us in the way you know. Release one leaf at break of day; At noon release another leaf; one from our trees, one far away. Retard the sun with gentle mist; Enchant the land with amethyst. Slow, slow! For the grapes' sake, if the were all, Whose elaves already are burnt with frost, Whose clustered fruit must else be lost-- For the grapes' sake along the all.
poem by Robert Frost
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Second Skin
The bullets deep, Im not dreaming,
The blood I keep, while youre healing.
Have you found your second skin, second wind ?
Have you found your second skin, second wind ?
Second skin.
Youre riding high, you wont be falling
Dont look behind, Im crawling.
Have you found your second skin, second wind ?
Have you found your second skin, second wind ?
Oh you could have been born to swim,
You could have been born to camouflage.
Have you found your second skin, second wind ?
Have you found your second skin, second wind ?
Does it pull ? a ring around your finger ?
Does it hurt ? and will it linger on ?
Have you found your second skin, second wind ?
Have you found your second skin, second wind ?
Have you have you have you have you x5
song performed by by Heather Nova
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Camouflage
(stewart / savigar / omartian)
She came to the party
In a leather number wrapped in chains
Investigation found
She was very fond of dropping names
So I signed her book
And drove her to her home
And she looked so hot
Started to come on strong
Then she said so candidly
As I was gettin down on my knees
i dont really mean to tease
But Im shy, shy, shy, shy, shy
Camouflage
Thats nothin but camouflage
He was totally handsome
With a winning personality
Natural born leader
With connections in society
But late at night
Alone with just his wealth
He would stare in the mirror
And never see himself
He had a cadillac thirty foot long
He had a hit with every song
Sounded like somethings wrong
Why, why, why, why, why
Camouflage
It aint nothin but camouflage
Camouflage
Aint nothing but, nothin but
Nothin but camouflage
They were so well suited
With an ambience you cant ignore
But nobody realized
What went on behind closed doors
He had many affairs
But never felt fulfilled
She would hide her sadness
In alcohol and pills
She bottled everything up inside
He was too busy with his best friends wife
They couldnt look each other in the eyes
Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies
Camouflage
Just camouflage
Everywhere you go its called camouflage
Some people hide behind camouflage
C-a-m-o-u-f-l-a-g-e
I signed her book, drove her to her home
But I didnt know what was goin on
He had a cadillac thirty foot long
Had hits with every song
He had many affairs but never felt fulfilled
She was hidin herself in some little purple pills
Why, why, why, why
Shy, shy, shy, shy
Lies, lies, lies, lies
Lies, lies, lies, lies
Camouflage, camouflage
Talkin bout camouflage
Camouflage, bring it down
Sometimes I worry about you darlin
You wear too much mascara
Too much eyeliner
Too much rouge, and it worries me
Camouflage, camouflage
Camouflage, talkin bout camouflage
song performed by by Rod Stewart
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
A Ballad of Burial
If down here I chance to die,
Solemnly I beg you take
All that is left of "I"
To the Hills for old sake's sake,
Pack me very thoroughly
In the ice that used to slake
Pegs I drank when I was dry --
This observe for old sake's sake.
To the railway station hie,
There a single ticket take
For Umballa -- goods-train -- I
Shall not mind delay or shake.
I shall rest contentedly
Spite of clamor coolies make;
Thus in state and dignity
Send me up for old sake's sake.
Next the sleepy Babu wake,
Book a Kalka van "for four."
Few, I think, will care to make
Journeys with me any more
As they used to do of yore.
I shall need a "special" break --
Thing I never took before --
Get me one for old sake's sake.
After that -- arrangements make.
No hotel will take me in,
And a bullock's back would break
'Neath the teak and leaden skin
Tonga ropes are frail and thin,
Or, did I a back-seat take,
In a tonga I might spin, --
Do your best for old sake's sake.
After that -- your work is done.
Recollect a Padre must
Mourn the dear departed one --
Throw the ashes and the dust.
Don't go down at once. I trust
You will find excuse to "snake
Three days' casual on the bust."
Get your fun for old sake's sake.
I could never stand the Plains.
Think of blazing June and May
Think of those September rains
Yearly till the Judgment Day!
I should never rest in peace,
I should sweat and lie awake.
Rail me then, on my decease,
To the Hills for old sake's sake.
poem by Rudyard Kipling
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
For Heaven's Sake, Listen, Listen, O My Darling
For heaven's sake, listen, listen, O my darling:
Do not dart your cruel, angry glances at me,
For I swear by the lovely pitchers of your breasts,
And by your golden, glittering, snake-like necklace:
If ever on earth I dare touch anyone except you,
Let your necklace turn into a real snake, and bite me;
And if ever my promise and words prove false,
Chastise me, O darling, in the way you want to.
But, now, don't hesitate to take me in your arms,
Bind, bind my thirsty body with yours; bruise me
With your thighs, and bite, bite me with your teeth.
Let your fingernails dig deep, deep into my skin!
Strangle me, for heaven's sake, with your breasts,
And lock me in the prison of your body forever!
poem by Vidyapati Thakur
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Snake Skin
I shed my past hurts away
Like a snake
Shedding its old skin
To relish the new shiny skin
I sloughed off some double-tongued associates
Those with slithering words of abuse
which slips in tongue without constraints
their venom more deadly than that of a poisonous snake
poem by Champs Ulysses Cabinatan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Snake Rhymes
I did in my garden see a Snake.
Curled calmly around the gardener's rake.
Knowing that my dear life was at stake,
I beckoned in fright to my son Jake.
"Get the matchbox and fuel for God's sake.
Burn him or precious lives he might take.
Recall the curse that came in the wake
of man's sin for which God did forsake
him in a world he couldn't retake."
But swiftly the Snake made for the lake.
poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (18 June 2016)
Submitted by Joseph C Ogbonna
Vote! | Copy!
A Snake
life is covered by a layers of skins-meaning, culture, conversational skills, talks, established education, certificates, friends, neighbours, dignity, concepts conditioned, sociality and liberty
When these skins fall off, one cannot even touch the softest metaphors of communication-light itself for success in life
A snake of life
Poisonous thin layers of knowledge of the world
Ancient wisdom comes back as a river of lost footsteps
In the forest of mindscape
A snake
Layers of skins taking off the airports of body
Now you are a man but not a human installing the humanity you yourself are longing for
A snake losing its tracking lines on earth
Rap It
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Tell me why,
Do you camouflage that love.
And why...
Do you do it disguised in meaning.
Tell me why,
Do your eyes cry and fill with tears.
And deny with lies,
You want true love!
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Tell me why,
Do you camouflage that love.
And why...
Do you do it disguised in meaning.
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap! '
Do you wanna rap?
'No, I don't wanna rap!
Don't wanna rap but...
I'm so tired of giving up my heart.
I'm so tired of making new starts.
Like I've got nothing but love for sale.
To inhale pain with no gain to exhale.'
Rap it!
Rap it!
Rap it!
Rap it!
'I'm so tired of the games being played.
I'm so tired of being used for a quick lay.
I'm so tired of words that say,
'I love you baby but I can not stay.'
Rap it!
Rap it!
Rap it!
Rap it!
'I'm so tired of giving up my heart.
I'm so tired of making new starts.
Like I've got nothing but love for sale.
To inhale pain with no gain to exhale.'
Tell me why,
Do you camouflage that love.
And why...
Do you do it disguised in meaning.
'I'm so tired of giving up my heart.
Rap.
I'm so tired of making new starts.
Rap!
'Like I've got nothing but love for sale.
To inhale pain with no gain to exhale.'
Tell me.
'I'm so tired of the games played.'
Rap!
'I'm so tired of being laid.'
Rap!
'I'm so tired of words that say,
'I love you baby but I can not stay.'
Tell me why,
Do you camouflage that love.
And why...
Do you do it disguised in meaning.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Now back in those days, to become a rural mail carrier you had to be approved by congress.
quote by Betty Hill
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Shaky Snaky Figures
Around his neck that boy had a snake, mottled green
As he passed when I was waiting by the cash machine.
As the credit crunch grips like a boa constrictor
Around the throat of each gullible investor,
The parallels intrigued me with their perfect apposition
Of the snake and the shaky financial position
Did he want to make me think up some moronic metonymy
To figure out a way to describe the chronic economy?
For the figure of infinity, that on-it’s-side eight
Is the figure for the figures in the global debt.
poem by C. Richard Miles
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
For Man’s Sake
Man’s made stringent laws for woman care
Man’s made exclusive space for woman’s stay
Safety is not for the sake of women
But for men who are their custodian
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Camouflage
Camouflage is all the rage.
Ladies in their fight with age-
Soldiers in their fight with foes-
Demagogues who mask and pose
In the guise of statesmen-girls
Black of eyes with golden curls-
Politicians, votes in mind,
Smiling, affable and kind,
All use camouflage to-day.
As you go upon your way,
Walk with caution, move with care;
Camouflage is everywhere!
poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Red Rocks
walking up the long winding stairs,
The sun is blazing hot,
and i am feverish with the warmth of it,
I feel like reading Jim morrison,
it feels like him here,
reaching the top is like touching the hand of god,
it feels like your first date,
my fingernails are raking the red rock
as my mind plunges into the only thought I have,
I am on top of the world,
I want to fly,
Winding down
off the paths,
down the mountain,
we must be still
a rattlesnake green and goddess sent
lies sunning in the dirt,
ride the snake,
Ride the snake,
dead poet in my head
you are right,
No I say I am afraid,
Suddenley I am brought back again,
and you are gone,
still through the bushes, a flicker of a tail
then no-more
poem by BladesongRaven Gehrig
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Snake; an oracle of oath
The godless men worship the snake
The godless men take oath in name of snake
And the curse comes upon wrongdoer
The godless men take oath in the name of snake
And blessing rains upon the innocent
The godless men take oath in the name of snake
And snake bitten dead the lair
And snake spare life of the truer
Despite snake answers to godless men
No votive or thank given to snake, the god
So the stopped the men to swear
By it name, snake said men used
Thunder and fire for swearing instead of it name
As snake disowned the godless men
Hex fallen upon
poem by David Aoloch Bion
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A snake can shade its skin but it still remains a snake.
2econd Skin
Crawl me into your second skin
and teach me everything
(Second skin)
Through your eyes a voyeur
Through your veils of a visionaire
talk to me about those things
no other soul would care.
(Second skin)
Outcast all the colours that I still have
Camouflage me so I can fall and stand
somewhere between an underrated angel
and all those citizens marked with X-sex.
(Second skin)
Tissue apart and right to the heart
teach me the wonders of your moral blade
so I can stand still when you have to kill
all that was yours before and now has to fade away
Draw me the fine line between religion and crime
You are one more son of a God you can never be wrong
but aren't we all?
As we sit and wait
for the serpent to bite our very own tale
(As I sit and wait
for the serpent to bite my very own tale)
(Second skin)
song performed by by Moonspell from Sin/Pecado
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
The Boots...
the boots of modern America,
are made of black skin, Native American skin,
poor white trash skin, migrant worker skin,
unemployed skin, homeless skin,
prisoner poverty street skin....
who will they walk on next?
poem by Eric Cockrell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!