The Two Farmers

Two farmers walked
the same road
one winter.

Each had once
picked up a frozen snake
to save its life
and been bitten.

And each had taken
a long time to recover.

One day,
the first farmer
came along that road again.

He saw
another snake in the snow,
stiff from the cold.

He paused.

Then
he crushed it under his boot
and kept walking.

Further ahead,
he spotted
a rabbit trembling in the snow.

He looked at it—
then walked on.

“They are no different,”
he said.

Later,
the second farmer
came down the road.

He saw the snake
but did not go near it.

Then,
he saw the shivering rabbit.

He stopped.

He took some food from his bag,
covered it with his scarf,
and then continued his way.

The snow kept falling.

The road remained unchanged.