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Don’t rattle a rattlesnake, if you are wise.
Don’t tickle his tummy or stare in his eyes.
     Wish him good morning or wish him goodnight -  

      BUT -
     Don’t seize him or tease him - he knows how to bite.

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Don’t rattle a rattlesnake, if you have sense.
The venom he carries is his special defence.
      Remember the good things he does for mankind:
      He rids us of rodents and insects he finds.

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Don’t rattle a rattlesnake for he doesn’t like this.
He’ll rattle with anger whilst other snakes hiss.
      He’s saying: 'Keep clear!  Stand back!  Keep away!'
      And his rattle’s a warning - he’ll not want to play.

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Don’t rattle a rattlesnake for he can’t see you well.
Do you think he relies on a good sense of smell?
      No, he picks up vibrations - his jawbone does that -
      So watch out you humans, you dog or you cat!

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Don’t rattle a rattlesnake but leave him in peace.
He’ll then wander off and his rattling will cease.
     He’s part of our world, as all others are too,
     So don’t make him angry; just wish him adieu.

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Copyright on all my poems

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* To rattle someone or something = to make them angry, ie to tease them unnecessarily.

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A snake is a 'reptile' not an animal.  In fact: Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes.  Learn more (see below)

 

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Five things to learn about rattlesnakes

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