Altered States

the mind is like a snake
coiled and ready to strike
cold-blooded and usually deadly
attacking anything it likes

the mind is like a bear
full of big teeth and sharp claws
easily fooled and clumsy
with death inside its jaws

the mind is like a skunk
deadly with a foul smell
unable to make good decisions
it will doom us all to hell

the mind has many faces
none easily understood
it takes us many places
sometimes none of which are good