Snag in the swag
The Serpent’s Slumber
A poem about an unfortunate encounter in a swag*
Published in
1 min readJul 5, 2020
*A swag is a portable bedroll / sleeping unit in Australia (see pic below)
From the depths
of the cavernous swag
curled, entwined
in a slumberous lag.
Safe and dry
from the thundering storm
hide out and
conjure the sun’s transform.
Zzzip and jerk
snaps the serpent awake
high alert,
territory at stake.
In comes one
then slithers another
fat and warm
more so than his mother.
Outmatched and
outnumbered two to one
uncoil with
a hiss and rise to run.
Abandoned
all of the swags that night
slithering
third leg escaped from sight.
Simone Maffescioni, 2020
Response to Martin Rushton’s prompt for a poem about an escaped snake.
