disguised

we were brave
we were ferocious
slaying snakelets
and scaring the neighbors

queen leviathan
rising from her pit
has given birth

it was our fate
to save the 'hood

shoot!
ma is only 86
I'm lurking 'round
the edge of
half centuries--
we've got it made


grass snakes,
corals and kings
beware!

I slayed the first
neophyte
with my car tires

when the second one
appeared
out of nowhere
on concrete
in the carport
from sunlight
to shady damp
ma panicked:
    hoist a hoe
    grab a broom
    wield a rake


(we willingly
give up our naps
to save the planet)

hatchlings from
every bed and nest
in garden tool range
slither to visit the sun

time to bring in the big dogs:
    Animal Control
those proud men
in flashy gray uniforms

(brave but deceived--
we would never tell)

      ma'am, earthworms are healthy
chubby and fat
long and slimy
parade of snakes
disguised as earthworms
                kicked to soil