Securely sunning in a forest glade,
A mild, well-meaning snake
Approved the adaptations he had made
For safety’s sake.
He liked the skin he had-
Its mottled camouflage, its look of mail,
And was content that he had thought to add
A rattling tail.
The tail was not for drumming up a fight;
No, nothing of the sort.
And he would only use his poisoned bite
As last resort.
A peasant now drew near,
Collecting wood; the snake, observing this,
Expressed concern by uttering a clear
But civil hiss.
The simple churl, his nerves at once unstrung,
Mistook the other’s tone
And dashed his brains out with a deftly-flung
Pre-emptive stone.
Moral
Security, alas, can give
A threatening impression;
Too much defense-initiative
Can prompt aggression.
The poem looks outwardly simple but it calls for deep meaning and explanation, displaying ones strength can lead to destruction is well seen in this simple looking poem. Though the snake is cited here as an example, it holds good for one and all. The saying pride comes before fall, is so much the message. The snake assuming its security and safety forgot totally its vulnerability. so the fate was quiet inevitable. Even a rubber band if given more tightness may break