Rattlesnake

Today I went for a hike up a rocky desert hill
A jackrabbit crossed my trail
Peacefully hopping through his daily routine
I saw partridge birds
Consorting about over the topic of worms
I noticed the ease with which they kept their distance, but otherwise unalarmed
They had tools I didnt have
Flight, speed, I’m no threat to them
And I wasnt looking for them
And I wasnt a predator
I was prey

I was looking for a rattleshake
I wanted to be ambushed by her
Understand the shock, despair and disbelief of falling victim
Falling to a viper’s strike
Feel venom wash through me,
Cleansing me of frustrated indifference
Somehow I have become a predator
Reluctantly feeding on lovely things
So, I needed to feel the pain of innocence

I know she’s deadly,
To be avoided at all costs
But I’d be stunned nevertheless, taken aback by her calloused viciousness
I was thoughtlessly strolling on her trail, but I’d be scared and demand from the heavens answers, pity.
Why did this unprovoked creature do this to me
Her cold hearted act of aggression
Her indiscriminate offensive
Would leave me overcome with distrust.
My confidence in nature, forever shaken, convinced all snakes are monsters
I’d be offended
Even as I fell to the ground,
Watching her return to the eggs in her nest