Snakes

We’re all afraid of something –
Spiders, lightning, heights, the dark –
But often we don’t know what set
That fear-inducing spark.

My grandson, for example,
Suddenly despises snakes.
You might suspect he hates
The hissing noise that creature makes.

Snakes also make me nervous
So I get how he must feel;
Yet I don’t think he’s ever seen
A snake up close that’s real.

Still, any book that he picks out
That has a snake inside it
Requires me to keep an eye out
Just so I can hide it.