A Deadly King
  Down by the poisoned river in the woods
  Is where you shouldn't go. Nobody should.
  The river wasn't poisoned on accident, you know.
  The poisoner's there, if you care to go

  Wandering in his domain. This reptile
  Doesn't rely on wit, cunning, or guile.
  He just wants to be left alone.
  But if people insist on invading his home,

  He has several special defenses.
  Nature has heightened his senses.
  You see, all he has to do
  Is turn his snake-eyed glare on you.

  A crashing pain will tear through your head
  And you'll keel over, door-nail dead.
  Anyone who meets his gaze
  Dies in this horrible way.

  This little king of reptiles, this Basilisk,
  Can even cause death with an evil hiss.
  People shouldn't see him, shouldn't hear
  His sounds, if they hold life dear.

  His breath green withers, his stare rock cracks,
  Though he's no bigger than a large cat.
  And if by some miracle he could be killed,
  Anything that touches his body becomes ill.

  He was hatched from a rooster's egg.
  He has a rooster's comb, body, and legs,
  A bat's wings, eyes and tail of a snake.
  Though he's little, he's deadly, make no mistake.

  Unless you want to court suicide,
  Don't walk in the woods where the Basilisk hides.
  He'll surely slay you with a fatal feature.
  (Despite his deadliness, I really admire the creature.)