Herpetology for Beginners
By Victor Howes
1.
The cobra has but one agenda:
To strike at his prey where he’s tenda.
In order to bypass the cobra
It’s best to hang rough and stay sobra.
2.
Cleopatra, it is said,
Clasped an asp and wound up dead.
Don’t clasp, don’t grasp, an asp.
3.
Never rattle a rattler.
4.
Try not to make an adder
Madder.
5.
In conflict with a boa constrictor
You likely won’t emerge the victor.
From Thoughts after Spenser by Victor Howes. Cambridge: Harvard Book Store, 2016. Copyright © Victor Howes.