Viper Amongst Children

Haven't you seen the viper in your country's nurseries?
Its eyes are sharp, its fangs slaver, its body is coiled and tense. Its poison is potent, but nobody cares.

Haven't you seen the viper in your country's nurseries?
What will happen to your babies once its mouth suckles upon their Achilles heels? Do you think the serpent is here to protect?

Haven't you seen the viper in your country's nurseries?
Its dead skin litters sterile hospital floors. Its eggs share human cradles. Just wait until they hatch.

Haven't you seen the viper in your country's nurseries?
I squeeze my eyes and scream, but your attention is transfixed upon the mundane, and you do not hear.

I see a viper in your country's nurseries.
I hear its gleeful hiss.
But I have no Power to stop it,
Though the children wail with fear.