By Julia Franks
I step lightly through the reptile room,
feeling the shards of glass under my sneakers.
The python smiles at me,
lizards surround me,
dragons sing my death song.
Black Mamba and King Cobra
stand at full attention
and read my crimes.
I’m not guilty,
but I accept my fate.
Toothy grins and long necks
bob and weave in and out of each other.
Rattles and hisses, bites and bruises.
Glass littered all around as I think to myself…
What a wonderful world