Rattle

By Andrew R. Duckworth

A warning cry in the dry land,
Among some desert plants.
Take a few steps back,
And that coil becomes well defined,
With its tail up,
Shaking so fast
You could swear it wasn’t real.
But those diamond eyes say otherwise,
Piercing the skin quicker than the fangs,
But that venom drip
Is for those walk
And trip
Over the rattling coil.
A cautionary tale
To keep eyes open
For those shaking tails.