He was angry
presently moving backwards
He blamed the serpent wrung around his neck,
gripping right with every
direction he took.
I had the world in front of my eyes
forever present.
I showed him the people,
Who is now, who has been, yet
He only saw their necks wrung tight.
He showed me their eyes
all of them burning.
He said no present can release the grip of its past
I saw their serpents winking,
Look!
But they hid their smug expressions
from an angry man
And he did not believe me

So I showed him mine.
My eyes glazed over, and for just a moment
He saw that even
I
could suffocate on command
under the weight of a past
It was then that he saw my serpent wink

There’s nothing more vulnerable than an angry man
realizing he’s been tricked into dying
for his past.