THE SERPENT AND THE WORKER (2026) By Kevin “Rashid” Johnson

Not an accident of nature
Nor a mere symptom
But a creature made
In the image of the system

A snake with
A lethal bite
A selfish worshipper of wealth
With a ravishing appetite

Time and again condemned to die
He’s suffered fatal wounds
Inflicted by united workers
“Please help me” he croons

I can redeem my wrongs
And make your lives grand
The injuries you suffered were not my fault
Please try to understand

He shifts blame to others
Denying any wrongs
He scapegoats innocents
With slithering siren songs

So along comes a worker
Good people harbor no ill
She felt sympathy for the state
Of this creature known to kill

So she took him into her home
Gave him food and shelter
The entire time he thanked her
Told her how much he felt her

Generosity and kindness
Promised to repay her in turn
Convinced her with his confessions
That his lessons he’d learned

She grew fond of him
Introduced him to kith and kin
Assured by his forked tongue
That he truly was her friend

So his ills were forgotten
His fatal wounds were healed
His health was revived
But his belly was never filled

Because he suffers
With an incurable disease
To grow and grow to feed and feed
Drive by insatiable greed

So as the unsuspecting worker
Lay one day at rest
She placed her arm around the serpent
Clutched him to her breast

As his forked tongue flickered
In a mesmerizing dance
He struck the worker so quickly
She stood not a chance

She could only ask
As the poison took affect
Was this repayment for her service
Being bitten in her neck

The animal replied
I’m a selfish creature
I am a capitalist
You always knew my nature

That I feed off workers
And the goods that you make
You knew the moment you took me in
That I was a snake…