Snake Eater

image borrowed from bing

Snake Eater

Prickly sweat cascading 

beneath his kevlar, 

willing his hands not to tremble, 

thick black smudges

beneath his piercing eyes,

copper-tasting saliva sifting

through his clenched teeth,

preparing to lurch 

from blackout shadow

to bright jungle clearing, 

his two sharp knives trained 

to skewer, to sever membranes,

to behead his scaly adversaries--

and as he leaped out 

to do the cobra dance,

he marveled at how the trees 

looked like mad asparagus 

just before he waded

into the ritual slaughter. 

Glenn Buttkus

April 2012

Posted over on Monday Melting 14

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