THE JOURNEY OF THE LONE SNAIL
(Part Three)

The snail continued on its winding quest,
Through the forest vast, where shadows rest.
When it came upon an adder, sleek and sly,
So well camouflaged, it caught the eye.

The snail, with curiosity in its tone,
Asked the adder, "Why do you roam alone?
Why are you venomous, feared by all?
What made you this way, why do others fall?"

The adder coiled, with a sigh so deep,
And shared a story that made the snail weep.
"I was once meek, a quiet soul,
In a world where chatter took its toll.

I watched as the great talkers, bold and loud,
Fell to the whims of the mocking crowd.
But I kept my silence, rarely spoke,
For words, I knew, were a double-edged cloak.

Yet silence brought its own cruel fate,
For my mouth grew foul, in a quiet state.
The odor made me mute even more,
And toothless, I wandered the forest floor.

But the world is cruel, it pokes and pries,
Demanding words, feeding on lies.
One day, they pushed me too far to stand,
So I bit back, in a moment unplanned.

To my surprise, my bite was strong,
For in my silence, something had gone wrong.
The germs had gathered on my last two teeth,
Their juices had brewed venom beneath.

That bite saved me from their endless taunts,
Turned my weakness into something that haunts.
No longer meek, I became a beast,
And the world now feared, where once it had ceased.

I eat the offspring of those who scorned,
For they poked a creature that should have been mourned.
Now my silence is laced with dread,
And I roam these woods, where others fear to tread."

The snail, in awe, absorbed the tale,
Of how the adder’s silence became its veil.
A lesson learned, harsh yet true,
That the world can twist the meekest view.

The snail moved on, its pace now slow,
With thoughts of how the world can grow.
For some, it’s venom that shields their pain,
For others, silence drives them insane.

Yet in the quiet of the forest night,
The snail realized a truth so bright:
That every creature, both fierce and frail,
Has a story that shapes its trail.

And so the snail, wise beyond its shell,
Continued its journey, with tales to tell.
For in each encounter, a lesson gleamed,
Of a world far deeper than it once dreamed.

To be continued