Snake in the Grass… by Jane Strebel
From a child’s perspective, one of the greatest benefits of growing up on a farm in the 1950s was that when summer arrived, shoes were essentially neither needed nor required. Once I heard my mama say something like “It’s gonna be a hot one today,” I knew it was time to ditch those restrictive, sweat-inducing shoes. Once we did, my siblings and I would run around the yard like a bunch of banshees, screamin’ and hollerin’ just for the fun of it. We’d walk in bearable pain on the graveled farm road, knowing full-well that, before the summer was over, our feet would be as tough as old shoe leather and we’d never feel even the sharpest of those rocks. Why, we’d even step in the droppings of our free-range chickens and not bat an eye.
However, Daddy always impressed upon us, being Southern kids and all, that although a person should never go around being scared of snakes, one should always be aware that a snake just might be where one’s bare foot is about to step. A fair number of non-venomous snakes were privy to our domain, but the possibility that the stepped-upon snake just might be the “poisonous” copperhead or rattlesnake was considerable. He taught me to be snake smart because, simply put, if the snake venom didn’t kill me, the bite would be so painful that I was going to wish it had. In other words, I learned it was always prudent to keep my eyes open.
If the grass is mowed, then sure, enjoy the yard and the sandbox barefooted. But if you’re going to the woods to build a fort, then for Pete’s sake, Kid, put on your shoes. Snakes love being in the woods every bit as much as you do!
“And while I’m at it, always look before you step over a log. Sneak a peek before you fill the bucket when you feed the chickens. Keep an eye open for a snake basking in the sun or swimming with its head held high when you’re taking a dip in the swimming hole. Again, don’t go around scared, just go around smart. And like I said, put on those shoes!”
It may seem strange that my father’s words are still with me today, but his snake advice was something that I obviously took to heart. I remember a time many years later when he was an old man and my mother was battling the early throes of dementia. We were outside their little house when he suddenly pointed to a very long black snake sprawled some five feet across the hedges that were located directly beneath my parents’ first-floor bedroom window. Daddy always regarded a black snake as a good omen, since it was known to eat the venomous snakes.
“Don’t tell your mother, Kid”, he said to his pushing-sixty-year-old daughter. “Don’t worry, I won’t”, I replied, knowing just how upset my mother would be if she knew about her unbidden visitor.
It was many years later that it occurred to me that perhaps my father’s advice might also pertain to the two-legged variety of snake. You know the type. Always corkscrewed for the strike, this snake staunchly dislikes anyone who disagrees with him on any matter. “Snake” demands to be the center of attention, as was so pointedly demonstrated in a recent interview.
“I am bigger, I am better. I’m a real go-getter!
I am humble, I am smart. (This is coming from my heart!)
You should thank me, it is true, ‘cause I do it all for you!
And I’m sure you will agree that it’s ALL about ME!
Now excuse me while I bas-s-sk and take a little s-s-swim
For the chances that I could be wrong are very, very s-s-slim.”
It is unquestionably clear that Snake would never consider himself to be one of “the least of these” like the rest of us. Your typical “Snake in the Grass” is so self-absorbed and his need for power so self-serving that he will even resort to his old playground bullying tactics of name-calling, ridiculing and deception just to get his way. It is therefore important that you remember that although being bitten by such a serpent may not actually kill you, it can be so bad that you just might wish it had.
So here’s my advice: don’t go around living in fear of this heinous snake, but always be aware that he just might be there. And for Pete’s sake, wear your shoes just in case you have to run for your life.
July 13, 2022, on what would have been my father’s 101st birthday.
Just a note: according to experts, a poisonous snake will kill you if you eat it; a venomous snake will kill you if it bites you.
