Serpentine

for decades from

the shadows of scorching

desert sands

the viper bit

without remorse

injecting its venom

in careless wanderers

lost pilgrims

unremarkable hares

and rats

old now the serpent

quips with a smirk with

a sideways swipe of its tongue

how the flow of poison

has slowed how its

fangs hang brittle

how its mouth is dry

from the repetition

of its few hissed words

offers for

reconciliation

how the bite

shaped by

the swallowed

apologies of time

is softer

less lethal