Civilized Thrills

the snake charmer entertains the tourists
the snake would rather be out in the grass
but the charmer needed some way of making a living and snakes had hearts that seemed purest;
and an appealing way of moving their ass.

Day after day he would make that snake dance.
The charmer told people the snake was venomous,
that the music from his flute put the reptile in a trance.
Except for a zoologist with a clue the truth was anybody's guess.

One day the charmer had a massive heart attack,
the snake hissed ,
the crowd moved back
and pretended the act didn't exist.

the ambulance and animal control arrived at about the same time;
the tourists were long gone , checking out the local civilized thrills before mealtime.