Snake in the Grass
Austin Price, Editor in Chief
The field of grass brings many things
Promise
Potential
Possibility
But it now offers a new danger
Persecution
The grass fosters life
Love
Growth
Endurance
Loyalty
But there are hidden clues
Whispers of a menacing monster
A predator lurks, hidden by the foliage
A carnivore, prowling the landscape of the jungle
A traitor, terrorizing their loyal subjects
This hunter
This user
This pusher
Paints a portrait of the most dangerous criminal of all
A criminal that kisses one’s cheek
Signaling a sacrifice with affection
Playing with a victim's soul
Like a child playing pretend with their picture perfect dolls
In their picture perfect dollhouse
Whispering sweet nothings into the ears of a scapegoat
Fueling a faint flame of fragility of self doubt
Giving a sense of life into a dying soul
Placing tape to cover the ripped shreds of trust and loyalty
Sending in a sacrificial lamb
To fight the battles a coward could not face
To win the war without a shield of armor
To negotiate with the nefarious entities of greed
To seduce the serpents of shame
Sending in a little soldier
With the sensitivity of a lamb
And the courage of a lion
Exploiting their kindness
And disregarding their care
After an attack the wounds are gushing
Crimson blood, buckets of it
The grass is stained
The victim now changed
Instead of providing aid, the hunter poisons their prey
Spreading venomous words of hatred
Capitalizing on the weakness of the fighter
Bringing their internal fears to the surface
Speaking a truth denied for so long
Making their nightmare a reality
The slithering serpent sees the innocent
Like a mercenary spotting it’s target
It leaves the victim choking on anger
And riddled with shame
Every disgusting thought
Every crippling doubt
Every cruel comment
Every dreaded sentence
Spoken by the abuser
Manipulated loyalty, marred perfection, constant effort
Destroyed by the soothing voice of what once was an advisor
A trusted ally, slaughtered by the desire for power, money, stability
What was once a mentor
Is now an offender
Cursed by corruption
Haunted by horror
This snake in the grass once warned me of dangers
But now, this seductive serpent that I loved and adored is the danger