It was only by a sheer coincidence

that I changed my routine

Went for a walk to Eggerslack Woods

And not in the Oak Woods nearby.

I walked for nearly two miles

And then out of boredom, I decided

To walk through a long grassy field.

I saw a sudden movement and stopped.

Then I saw her – the female adder

Reddish brown with black diamonds

On her back shimmering, silvery in the light.

She shrugged her diamonds as she slithered

And stopped looking at me with her beady eyes.

I retreated a few steps and she was gone.

On the way back her image came back to me.