The Black Snake

Down the river rowed a mother
Holding her only child
She told him of the birds and the fish
How they used to make her smile
She painted plains full of color
A past sunny and bright
The warmth of the sun
How the stars they shone at night
There she saw it coming
How long would this hunger last
On the banks of the Black Snake
Grew a greenish patch of grass
But the clouds of smoke they thickened
Blocking their only light
She lit her tiny lantern
Hoping darkness she could fight
«To hell» she cursed those greedy men
Who played god for a while
Then she pulled him close again
Her last and only child