Charming!

MAGPIE TALES

http://magpietales.blogspot.com/2011/09/mag-83.html
supplied the illustration

CHARMING!

Snake-charming is an ancient art

That you must approach with care.

A snake-charmer in a jungle

Had better, indeed, beware.

If you take your flute and play it

Where the jungle leaves are green,

You may get more than you bargain for,

Even though snakes can't be seen.

As soon as you play the first note

The snakes will raise their heads,

Darting out tongues with interest

As they laze in their leafy beds.

Slowly they'll lift their bodies,

Sinuously and then hiss,

In their special  reptile language

'Brothers! What is this?'

As you play your initial number,

They'll all decide to meet,

And, sliding through the jungle,

They'll end up at your feet.

At first you'll be delighted

That you  are playing well,

And that an entire population

Is under your musical spell.

You'll even enlarge your repertoire

Moving on to a jig,

Not noticing that the crowd of snakes

Is growing rather big!

Soon you'll be surrounded

By an absolute multitude,

And every snake has one thing in mind...

'Let's taste this strange new food!'

I wont go into details about your horrible demise!

Let's just say that charming snakes

Can prove to be unwise!

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AFTERTHOUGHT.

'The bridge is out! The bridge is out!'

Be alerted to this shout!

Cars may tumble in the torrent!

The thought of that is quite abhorrent!

Citizens may sink and drown

Because the bridge has tumbled down!

Such great problems will arise!

The town is cut-off from supplies!

Soon we'll see a sea of mud

Where the river's caused a flood.

Bits of bridge are floating past!

The river's rising, rising fast!

This is a tragic situation!

We dare not stand in contemplation!

Run! Run! We dare not linger!

Worst of all.........I've cut my finger!

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