Venom

Bitten twice, I was
On a dusty afternoon
One walked on four legs,
and the other, two.
One fanged, and unpredictable
The other venom-tongued,
and thankless.
Both wagged their tails
when I was needed
And stung me, when I wasn’t.
Two animals –
one growled, the other
talked and walked.
And as I ponder,
I realized.
we all have, our fanged foe
tethered to our hearts
sometimes iron-leashed,
and sometimes
free to roam.