Sonnet #294

The mantis takes the color of flowers,

the shape of leaves and thorn, the hunter

always looks alike to what has power

to seduce the victim close, it's hard to fear

such beauty, the smell in the air of finest 

nectar, the promise of food or drink, all clear;

There are jobs where people do their best

That people ought not to do, folks wind down

Working and falling behind and working and behind

The basilisk waits for us in the million wires grown

where we allow it to grow, the coiling and unwind

in shadow places, in the edges of the law and the known

Approach the flower at your own peril, be wary, be brave

The snapping jaws will close. For retirement, save.