St. Patrick Needs A Rest

       The political news coming out of D.C. and this nation could occupy this poet 24/7. Finally a news item that does not involve Sandra Fluke, Governor Christie, KeystoneXL, D.C. gridlock, Healthcare.gov ad infinitum. In Santa Ana, after Jehovah's Witnesses noticed a most ungodly smell coming from a Bill Buchman's house on North Fernwood Drive. Police served a search warrant and found over 400 snakes, over 200 hundred of which were dead and lots of rat feces from their expected meals. He was arrested on felony animal cruelty.
        What makes this story worthy of a poetic comment other than the fact it is not D.C related is the fact that Bill Buchman is a school teacher at Mariners' Elementary School in Newport Beach and actually brought some of the pythons into the classroom to most like teach and amaze his students. As a parent I can digress and state you have not lived until you hold a kids' birthday party which feature reptiles, including snakes--kids love it, adults sometimes are taken aback, but fun and educational at the same time.
         Mariners is a couple miles from my office or as we would say in Herpetology Land, not that many slithers away. Since we are nearing St. Patrick's Day and since he is reputed to have rid Ireland of its snakes, I thought you would enjoy this poem. Recommend reading the OCR article on this Claudia Koerner writes well and the photos are interesting.  http://www.ocregister.com/articles/snakes-599644-buchman-haywood.html?page=1
Don't Call St. Patrick, He Needs A Rest

Christmas celebrations start earlier each day of the year

Santas and ads after Halloween sometimes appear

Even St. Patrick’s Day that hallowed day of good cheer

Is now becoming a Week to sell more Bushmills and green beer

We know legend tells us that St. Patrick rid Ireland of its snakes

But the news coming from Santa Ana should keep us awake

400 snakes in a house with many dead

A tale of animal cruelty we all should dread

A teacher at a Newport Beach elementary school

Took some of his boas and pythons as teaching tools

St. Patrick’s Day is but a close 45 days away

Do we need his spirit to the Santa Ana snakes chase or slay?

Maybe just the sound of pipes and the Shamrock dust to by helicopter spray

That’s a fear most snakes who know history will quickly heed and obey
Hope this elementary teacher and his cast of snakes is an isolated case

And we do not have an OC snake infestation for St. Patrick to erase

Thank God our teacher did not bring all of  them to his Mariners' classroom

Our public school system does not need more doom and gloom

Will his union come to his defense for the felony he seemed to commit,

Break normal ranks and demand that he be fired or quit?

In any case the Spirit of St. Patrick needs until the 17^th time to rest

He will be bringing salvation to the OC jails on that day for all the DUI arrests

© January 31, 2014 Michael P. Ridley, aka the Alaskanpoet