Rebirth

My cousin Shiva Prasad works as a doctor in Ipoh, Malaysia. The following "nonsense" is based on an incident which happened there, when a snake entered his room.


This is the story of a snake,
Who lived beside the lake
And a young doctor whose lure,
Was as much his charm as his cure

The snake woke up on this day,
And soon spotted the first prey
With one bite he injected the spray,
And waited for it to make its way

The victim started running in haste,
And the hero dreaming of its taste
“How long will you run” scorned the snake,
“Before my venom turns you into a cake”

To his greatest surprise and dismay,
And sure he never before felt this way
The victim ran with the same pace,
And disappeared without a trace

He has lost his venom, which made him sad,
For it was the only weapon he ever had.
Life suddenly looked dark and bleak,
Like a woodpecker who misplaced its beak

Then it struck him, that nearby this locale,
There was a man doc, hero of many a tale
Who used snake venom to fight snake venom,
How that could work, he could never fathom

He came to that magician’s house, it was night.
And entered the room with nobody to sight
Hoping that the doctor, resting on the couch,
Had enough of venom stock to fill his pouch

“Ssss, sssss” the serpent hissed in the ear,
And also gave a gentle stroke with his rear
The doctor opened his eyes and saw the snake,
And wondered “is this a dream or am I awake”

Soon into his senses he bumped,
And out of the sofa he jumped.
“Oh naga, why have you come down
I worship your tribe from dusk to dawn”

“I mean no harm, I come for consultation,
I’m a poor snake that has lost its poison
Kindly help me”, continued the reptile,
"Or else my life would become futile”

The merciful doctor took out his stethoscope,
Wondering whether this was a little out of scope
And started the diagnosis for which he was famed
But this was a challenge he never dreamed

In his usual friendly tone he asked the patient,
Which reflected his high emotional quotient.
“How do other snakes call you, do you guys have a name?”
“Yes” answered the snake, “Basmasura is my name of fame”

The doctor started wondering and smiling at the coincidence
Of a Malaysian snake having a name with Indian precedence.
When he suddenly felt a lightning that left him almost lame
As he remembered with a thunder that Shiva was his name

Recovering his senses, he jumped from the chair
And ran out of his room into the open air
“Snake on my bed” he started to yell.
"Asura at kailasa” he wanted to tell.

His therapist friend rushed in to take command.
With a huge club-like stick in his left hand
On the way picking up a stone which he swirled
The doc felt glad, for Narayan was how he was called.