Into the Sea of Snakes

Nimble bodies intertwined in courtship
Serpents await at the gates
With open jaws and mangled fangs
I can see the glowing, yellow eyes in the dark

A shrill hissing, deep in my minds eye
Should persuade me of retreat
But I must go the crooked mile to cut my teeth
To find myself at the river mouth

This impenetrable heart of darkness
A savage, hollow, empty dream
Where babies are drowned before their mothers
Restrained by umbilical nooses

The father’s seed is dying fast
Every mortal being, alone in the wild
With aching arms and swollen hearts
Fighting a losing battle

Who will be the better man?
A muscular primitive beast
An abstract distortion of virtue
A complete abortion of value