“No, no, no,” I said, “I can’t”
ride upon that elephant.
The creature lowered to one knee,
leg bent to make a step for me,
and seconds later, I was in air.
Was it courage or a dare?
Each leg gripped on a massive shoulder,
balanced on that giant boulder
of a back, somewhat nonplussed
as his handler swore and cussed
to not take down that massive tree
so long as he was bearing me!
Whereupon, once told “You can’t,”
this timber-working elephant
turned to descend the river bank.
I gave the rope a mighty yank.
(That was all I had to hold
as this leviathan grew bold,
intent on giving me a bath.)
His trainer ran to bar his path
and none to soon, in my opinion,
relieved this mammoth of his minion.
Soon after we had said adieu,
I faced adventures that were new.
It’s hard to see what I had there
around my neck, beneath my hair.
That snake wrapped loosely around me
hung writhing down below my knee.
I blew the pungi, hoping harm
would be abated by its charm.
What possessed me, I don’t know,
to agree to this viper show.
I wasn’t squeezed, I wasn’t bitten.
The snake was docile as a kitten.
I was a foolish girl back then.
What wild adventures way back when.
I’m pretty sure this is a python around my neck. I don’t think I would have been foolish enough to drape myself in a cobra, still, his owner had a pungi, which is what snake charmers use, usually to “charm” vipers or cobras. (Actually, it is the motion of the instrument, not its sound that weaves the spell.) I had on a top that was perfect camouflage for the reptile. Both of these photos were taken in Sri Lanka in 1973.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
wow – this is so deeply beautiful and touching – enjoyable!!
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Thanks, Mihran. I was looking throught an old album for illustrations for another poem and came across these. Fun looking through old photos and sharing them. Happy New Year.
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I can’t believe the bravery! A snake!
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I actually rather like snakes so long as they don’t bite or squeeze too hard. I’m more repulsed by worms (yech) than snakes.
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I am afraid of worms too, terribly afraid of snakes! It is a great picture though.
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I hate snakes 😖
And every other creature that crawls on its belly for that matter.
For some reason I don’t understand, I like worms 😂
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Ew… brave to my eyes! If you live in a place that has lots of poisonous snakes, I can understand your abhorrence. The only poisonous snakes in South Dakota, where I grew up, were rattlesnakes and with the exception when there was a great rattlesnake migration from the bluffs north of town to regions south, where the town was right on their path, I never saw a snake in town.
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These photos are precious. 😀
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Taken a Loooonng time ago and not too well.
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I did all of that stuff too. I didn’t much like the camel … a very strange creature to ride, but I kind of liked the elephant. Though Garry is terrified of snakes, I kind of like them, as long as they aren’t poison. But for me, NO bugs. NO no no.
More dangerous were probably some of the mobbed up guys I met along my way through life. I’m pretty sure the animals weren’t out to get me … but i can’t say the same for the guys.
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I like bugs and snakes. No worms. Didn’t much like the camel ride, either. No way to get a comfortable stance.
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Pretty cool youth you had there…both time and place.
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Wow, what a charmed and adventurous life you’ve had! How did you get to those places? Were you in the peace corps?
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