You lay on the lanai pavers
in the shadow of the table
under the watchful eye
and ever prodding paw
of the cat into whose territory
you have so boldly encroached.
You say that it is not the fault
of your kind that ours were evicted
from the Garden, and of course
you are correct, but it no longer
really matters, does it, all
of us, snakes, men and women
wandering, slithering in your case,
around an ever more unrecognizable
landscapes of our own creation.
But just to show you that there
are no lingering hard feelings,
or blame for that matter, I
will gently pick you up
with the cat’s consent and carry
you back to the garden again,
albeit this one my neighbors’.