MY RIGHTS

"You want your rights?"

"Come and get it," said the snake.

It was wrapped around a tree

in the confines of his tail,

a paper labeled "YOUR RIGHTS."

I stared up at the snake,

a wide grin crossing the expanse of its face.

It was ugly to look at,

its eyes yellow and terrible.

The snake was shifting

like it was a hologram,

a cross between nice snake

and mean snake.

Except it was just a facade.

There was really no nice snake.

I shuddered.

"If you come up here, I'll let you have them," said the snake.

"Okay," I said as I swung my legs across the first branch of the tree,

my fingers widening to grip the thick branches.

I climbed higher and higher

pulling myself onto the branches

getting closer and closer to the snake,

a target in my mind.

When I got onto the tallest branch of the tree

I allowed myself to sit down and breathed out in relief.

"Good, now hold out your hand," said the snake.

I held out my hands, my fingers brown with dirt marks from the trees.

"Give me my rights," I said.

The snake unraveled his tail revealing the paper labeled "YOUR RIGHTS."

Except it was crumbled into pieces,

each piece the shape of an unruly square.

The snake held up its tail;

floating down from it,

pieces and pieces

of my rights.