As itself
A baby copperhead still packs venom. Therefore death via shovel on account of bare feet
(Special thanks to Daisy for calling this to our attention — it was nearly invisible in the pea gravel)
Neither preferred nor personal. We honored the serpent with a beer and a mezcal
This is the second near miss in a boy’s life. The first — I scooped him up a moment before his running feet would have stepped on a coiled adult copperhead. In retrospect the viper was either mild mannered or spaced out; both of us were close enough for a trip to the hospital. This story has been often retold and is now a family legend that tells a desperate truth — sometimes I come through in the clutch
Yes: the heart races, but with a despicable selfish secret — this type of stress is preferable to the morning commute