Snake

Theodore Roethke

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I saw a young snake glide
Out of the mottled shade
And hang, limp on a stone:
A thin mouth, and a tongue
Stayed, in the still air.

It turned; it drew away;
Its shadow bent in half;
It quickened and was gone

I felt my slow blood warm.
I longed to be that thing.
The pure, sensuous form.

And I may be, some time.

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Comments1
  • ASlaws

    Wow, this piece rly made me feel the sneaky movement of that serpent! Anyone else getting the sense that the speaker wants to escape reality? Thoughts?