THE SNAKE & THE ROSE GARDEN.

a snake slithers

through tended stalks

of roses in various

stages of blooming.

an intelligent snake

of pretty prose 

and serpentine syntax,

but a snake, nonetheless.

some roses planted

this year, and others

planted in autumns

decades ago.

a cocky snake

in a confident garden.

and it should come to pass

a gardener chases

the snake through the roses ;

the snake persists, as does he.

if you find the snake,

you find the gardener.

woven, bustling paths of thorns,

or so the race goes.

no one likes the snake.

they sneer and they jest,

even as it moves between flowers

critiquing with bared fangs.

but from my porch

i cant help but wonder

how much longer until

the gardeners notice

the roses were trampled

amid the chase?

Reviews

[emmajoygreen]

Metaphorical hell in that garden. Gardens gave-give shelter to all except those thrown to space to fade in the heat of wandering enemies. Some would-be gardeners lay down stone, erect tall treated wooden man-maid drapery, staining the landscape, destorying the natural. And, that is why whatever and wherever can - snakes hide neath the ruination of land, b'decked and ugly. Sow what is natural, let Nature be its master, allow the wild to grow as the all about both requires and prays for.

Fine work, honest wording, visual and teaching what matters but -is yet to win. Many thanks for offering, Emunah June..

[FlatDaddy]

Some snakes must be dealt with at all costs. If the roses do not bloom next season, plant tulips or daffodils, or carnations, or any number of friendly flowers that smell even more sweet together when spring comes and gardeners stand guard for ANY deadly beast.

[RomaJ]

I love how this poem captures the tension between the snake and the gardeners. The chase, the critique, the persistence...while quietly reminding us of what’s often overlooked: the roses trampled in the struggle.

There’s a subtle, poignant reflection on consequence and attention here that lingers.

[Davidgeo]

We cannot do without the snake, we would have too many frogs.