A poem with the impact of a thorough essay, @prydefoltz. Indeed our grasp of reality is as sinuous as your serpents, and we human are just too self centered to realize it.

The first stanza sets the oneiric atmosphere:

shifting shoals

Beautiful but uncanny. Love the evocative strength of this image.

For me, this reading was Quixote,

go ahead
feed terror and anger
joust with windmills
save the world

...and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There:

you are only ever dreaming
you have gained awareness
when your enemies
have transformed from foes
to creatures of wonder

...But I guess there's more. I'm coming back to reread.

Great write! Thanks for sharing :-)