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As everyone knows, or thinks they know
from the Book of
Genesis,
the only villain of the piece
was a snake named Nicholas
Hiss;
'twas he who told poor Eve to eat
the fruit of the Knowledgeable Tree
-
though how a snake communicates
is a mystery to me.
As everyone knows, or thinks they know,
things went from bad to
worse;
and upon Old Nicholas' hapless head
was set a mighty curse.
No matter how smart that snake might be,
for a serpent so
unsound
there was only one way left to go,
by a-crawling on the
ground.
But even a worm will eventually turn
if you stomp upon his
head,
and Hiss learned to meal on a passing heel -
with tomato sauce
and bread;
which made our Nick so odious
to the average Jane or Joe
that they
called him by quite different names,
such as Satan (meaning 'foe').
As everyone knows, or thinks they know,
that's how we got to
be
so sartin' sure of good and bad,
from a bite of the Knowledgeable
Tree.
And when we're caught out in a deed
of wickedness and sin
Old Nick is
there to take the rap -
we can put the blame on him.
As everyone knows, or thinks they know
from the Book of
Genesis,
there's we who belong with Patience Strong *
and them that
belong with Hiss;
We can do what we like to such naughty folk -
they'll burn in the demons'
fire,
while we will be flying up above,
taking part in the heavn'ly
choir.
So three cheers for the hero of this tale,
or rather hisses
three,
for without the help of our fork-tongued friend
where would we
humans be?
outside the gates of Paradise
without an alibi:
till just in the very
nick of time
old Hiss comes winding by.
© Colin Gibson
* A poet of quite exemplary virtue and piety
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