Big and strong,
Bigger than most snakes,
But his bark is far worse than his bite,
No poison does he make,
But slide and glide across the land,
Africa and Asia and on desert terrain,
The skin he sheds and leaves his mark of change,
He slithers in sunshine, in snow and in rain.

I’m reddish-brown and gorgeous,
My long arms can hold and swing,
I’m the largest arboreal animal,
And my loud call I often sing,
It’s no surprise I’m “person of the forest”,
With my fingers and my thumbs,
I have a natural rhythm,
My body is full of the beating of the drum.

From high above us Mother Nature angrily breathes,
Humankind has done her wrong,
We built buildings and knocked down trees,
Destroyed the harmonies of her precious birdsong,
So to show us whose boss and to make a stand,
She raises the cars and destroys our fences,
And ravages the illegitimate upon her land,
We look on astounded as she batters our defences,
The wind howls wildly and the rain is forced down,
The sky above grows dark and the moon hides in fear,
Instinct returns to humans; they race to shelter in the town,
They can’t choose to survive; the choice is with Mother Nature’s selection spear.

Vipera berus,
Even the name scares me,
But I shouldn’t fear,
For when they come near,
I’m assured they aren’t highly dangerous.

Vipera berus,
It bites but rarely kills,
Look for its zigzag,
Waving like a flag,
From Western Europe to Eastern Asia.

An Australian symbol,
A national treasure,
A fascinating creature,
That on the eye is a pleasure.

A pouch of safety for its young,
A place of warmth and love,
It stands tall in the heat,
Basking in the rays from up above.

Like the sun it glows,
A presence in our lives,
Watch as it grows and grows.

Lighting the darkness,
A blemish in the sky,
An artists' perfect mess.

Claims insanity,
And watches as we sleep,
Honest morality.

It brings lunacy,
A passionate madness,
Such eccentricity.

Shadowed; the wolf howls,
We tremble in our fear,
Fall to our knees and bow.

I look up to the night sky,
And am greeted by such a sight,
A celestial vision,
Basking in sacred light.

A smattering of unplanned dots,
They sparkle and shimmer,
Standing still in the same spot,
With a flowing, graceful glimmer.

I look up to the darkness,
And am swallowed by the abyss,
Magic vision of starlight,
Never felt quite like this.