Bai Suzhen

Bai Suzhen 

Once while your mother

hungered and your

father was ill, you climbed

onto Leifeng's roof.

The snake struck.

You caught its white

face between your two

paws and gnawed its snout

until its eyes burst

and its nostrils spewed

venom over your ears.

You jammed a ficus stave

down its throat,

then brought it back to feed

your mother its savory

brains and to salve your

father with a poultice

made from its dry,

white scales.