Moving in his serpentine ways
Through tunnels and caves
Tired, he rested
Beside a dilapidated estate

It was filled with thorny shrubs
Poisonous creepers
Many stones had come loose
From the crumbling pillars

But his insides burned with desire
To scale heights
His predecessors, he believed
Could never achieve

He and his serpentine followers
Had struggled hard and long
And, at last
He had ascended the throne

Though wherever he traveled
Whatever he did
His predecessors seemed to have
Already claimed it

They were leaders with vision
Reaching beyond mountains tall
They are all gone now
Yet visible still as the North Star

Years ago that estate thrived
With wealth, health, harmony
And freedom to breathe
One’s thoughts and dreams

And when he tried to rest
Always found himself
Beside the inescapable
Dilapidated estate

He and his followers
Had never seen the sky
Their vision was focused always
On what was ahead on the ground

They could only survive
In holes, caves and underground
They creep crawl and from their fangs
Spray lethal poison around