Serpentine

I have myself crawled by scales

piece by shed piece

the whole of this sphere.

What worth a kingdom unknown to its ruler?

By the skins of my teeth I have fed.

Swallowing from every lake... streams

From God’s creatures, one of each,

(of those  Man has named)

I have allowed myself to drink

even as to taste of

Yes... as its spirit flees.

As I have said, I am well-traveled,

every inch of earth knows my touch

more than once, in fact, many times.

Such is the nature of the wind,

that your husband did so keen recognize

when he did pronounce of me,

proclaiming this one, with like kind,

…Serpentine.