I wanted to explore the sillier side of one of Australia’s deadliest snakes.
This poem is inspired by the word prompt “taipan.” While taipans are known for their speed and venom, I wanted to flip the script and imagine a day when even the most dangerous creatures take a step back and embrace their silly side.
Taipans, if you didn’t know,
are no joke.
Fast as flicked rubber bands,
fangs sharp as splinters,
venomous as a secret spilled.
But this taipan?
He woke up feeling… different.
Not hungry.
Not angry.
Just curious.
And curiosity,
it turns out,
makes even the deadliest snake
look a little silly.
He slithered through the grass—
quick, quiet—
as taipans do.
When he saw it.
The Spoon.
Shiny.
Still.
Absolutely out of place.
The taipan froze,
tongue flickering.
Once.
Twice.
“Hello?”
Nothing.
The Spoon just sat there,
gleaming in the sun.
Daring him.
The taipan narrowed his eyes.
Coiled.
Ready.
But this wasn’t an enemy.
This was… something else.
Carefully, cautiously,
he gave it a tap.
CLINK.
And that’s how it happened.
The fastest, fiercest snake
in all of Australia—
tripped.
On a spoon.
He flipped,
flopped,
twisted through the air
like a stripey balloon without a string—
straight into a puddle.
SPLASH!
The birds squawked in surprise.
The wallabies peeked and giggled.
Even the crocodile,
half-submerged,
snapped his jaws in a slow, sarcastic clap.
The taipan rose,
muddy but magnificent.
He glared at the spoon.
The spoon sparkled back,
perfectly smug.
“Fine,” he hissed.
“You win this time.”
And faster than a blink,
he was gone—
a whisper in the grass.
But the spoon?
Still there.
Still shiny.
And now,
a legend.
(c) Eric Montgomery
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