I reacted to the baby rattler
before I was even aware of it - 
a phenomenon of instinct, I guess,
when the body can recognize a snake
prior to the mind having any time
to perceive it -

and without given conscious instruction
my arm moved itself up to block the path
of my pregnant fiancé so her foot
would not tread upon the little serpent
as it hastily writhed across the trail
in front of us. 

After we both had a chance to calm down
and the rattlesnake had gone on its way,
she commented to me that the small ones
are more dangerous than the adults:
their venom more potent, their release of it
lacking control.

A lucky advantage for people, then, 
how this primal thing deep inside the brain,
vestigial from early development,
which relates to what is reptilian
is able to jolt our limbs in motion 
with utmost speed.