One morning as I closed the cyclone-fence gate / to begin a slow drift / down to the cookhouse on foot / (because my truck wheels were glued / in deep mud once again), / I walked straight into / the waiting non-arms of a snake, / its tan beaded-bag skin / studded with black diamonds. Up it coiled to speak to me a eye level. / Imagine! that sleek finger / rising out of the land's palm / and coiling faster than a Hindu rope. / The thrill of a bull snake / startled in the morning / when the mesas lie pooled / in a custard of light / kept me bright than ball lightning all day. Praise leapt first to mind / before flight or danger, / praise that knows no half-truth, and pardons all. Diane Ackerman
About This Quote

In this poem from the book "The Snake" by Pablo Neruda, the poet portrays a snake's perspective on the human condition. The snake is a creature that lives in a world that is very different from ours. The snake sees a world of order and structure, while we live in a world of chaos. This chaos must be disturbing to someone who lives in a world of order and structure.

However, the poet uses this contrast to create a beautiful metaphor to show how every creature has its own perspective on the world around it. In this case, the snake looks at the world from a point of view that is completely different from our own.

Source: I Praise My Destroyer: Poems

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