A Scary Encounter Poem by Valsa George

A Scary Encounter

Rating: 5.0


I remember my mother’s encounter with a snake
Small I was, yet grown enough to know
That a cobra was more venomous than most other snakes
My mother was brave…. brave to the hilt
If ever she sighted a snake by chance
She would at once chase it with a stick
And kill it if it couldn’t escape her notice
A strange trait not in any way keeping with the one
Who by nature was so compassionate to man and beast

I used to wonder why she was so spiteful to snakes
She had had it ever since I could remember
Later I learned, one of her uncles, in his prime
Had been bitten by a snake and had died a tragic death!

She once chanced to see a snake in our compound
This time her enemy was a formidable one
It was trying to escape to the cluster of bushes
But through the furrowed land, its movement wasn’t easy
My mother not armed with a sturdy cane
Beat it with a flimsy stick… of course a risky act!

It was hit somewhere around its tail
With the fire of fury burning in its eyes
It stood erect with its forked tongue flicking out
And its six inch hood spread out like a fan
It was a cobra of the deadliest kind!

To make matters worse, our dog
Came running from far, ready to pounce on it
My mother was between the devil and the deep sea
Yet she didn’t lose her composure
Without taking her eyes off the snake
She called out to her children to watch the drama
Which she said could never be seen so close
And could be watched, perhaps only in a zoo
We were so scared of the whole scene
And pleaded her to come away instantly
But she said- ‘a wounded snake was a dangerous thing
If let go, it would at any time come back to bite’
Might be a superstition she had imbibed as a child

Fortunately just above that fateful venue
Was our compound wall behind which
All of us had stationed, so panic stricken
My brother, from somewhere lifted up a huge stone
And dropped it over the snake from behind the wall
Something the cobra had never anticipated
Its head was hit hard and was under the rock
As it wriggled and coiled desperately trying to free itself
My mother using the chance, beat it black and blue
And finally it was dead….

A memory
That still sends shivers down my spine
And fills my mind with a rare awe for my mom!

A Scary Encounter
Friday, September 18, 2015
Topic(s) of this poem: life and death
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
I don't know if this can be called a poem. But this is a real incident from my life true to the core without a word of exaggeration! Hope you'll not find it boring but of absorbing interest!
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Akhtar Jawad 19 September 2015

A snake should never be attacked from the rear, it turns and attacks. A snake is always attacked from the front and it's head should be attacked. Like your mother my mother was also an expert of killing the snakes. But I am not aware of any psychological back ground. It's an interesting write that I really liked.

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Sanjukta Nag 21 September 2015

such a well knitted poem... after reading the poen I realized that I was holding my breath as the tension of being bitten by the cobra did not collapse until the snake collapsed. wonderful piece. thank you.

1 1 Reply
Tirupathi Chandrupatla 21 September 2015

You narrated a real episode that you recall so vividly. An episode involving mother or father brings past back. A mother tries to protect her children with great risks to her own safety. You narrated it very well. Poor snake had no chance.

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Sandra Feldman 23 September 2015

I don't usually read poems or stories about snakes, deathly afraid, couldn't stop reading this one so well written it is, so vivid the description, you felt you were there. A masterful picture of the horror you, mother and siblings lived, oh dog too.

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Kumarmani Mahakul 19 September 2015

To encounter a venomous snake needs braveness but snake should not be killed. You story in this poem is so nice and captivating. Thanks for sharing. ...10

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Dr Dillip K Swain 19 November 2022

OOP! A poigant poem. I sincerely appreciate the way you have presented a real case in this terrific poem.

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Rose Marie Juan-austin 21 June 2020

I commend your Mother's bravery. Very rare are those women that can face a snake especially cobra. Wonderfully written. A poetic gem. Onto my Poem List.

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Rose Marie Juan-austin 21 June 2020

A great Poetess can always makes a reader feel what she feels and see what she sees. As I read this magnificent write, fear enveloped me and it transported me to that scary scene where it sent shivers down my spine like what the great Poetess had felt.

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Daniel Brick 27 September 2015

I felt awe for your mother. What an amazing woman who embodies that complete commitment to her children's well being which characterizes mothers across the whole spectrum of society and nature. This poem is a praise-song to your mother and ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS. But I also felt awe for the cobra, trapped, probably frightened, he acted out of his animal instincts. It's sad he trespassed into the human world. Because it sealed his fate, which in the wilderness had not been written. I'm not bothered by the issue IS THIS A POEM? It is a vital and dramatic story that must be told. And in telling it so vivdly, you create poetry.

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Edward Kofi Louis 27 September 2015

Small i was, yet grown enough to know; with the muse of the realities of life! Thanks for sharing.

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