Author's Notes: I recently read the narrative poem "The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God" for the first time. Oddly enough, I then felt the need to try to imitate its meter—in a poem set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here are the first six stanzas of the result.
At various times in his regular comic books, Captain America has tangled with groups of snake-themed villains called "the Serpent Squad" and then "the Serpent Society." That was how he met Rachel Leighton, aka "Diamondback." In the late 80s/early 90s, she was basically Steve's equivalent of "Catwoman." Here's my own take on how they might first meet in the MCU.
The Ballad of the Serpent Squad
There's a brownstone house in Brooklyn where the Serpents used to hang;
There's the ashes of a once-precious sable;
There's a broken shower door where a hand grenade went Bang!
And some shrapnel still stuck in Rachel's table.
She was known as "Diamondback" to her buddies in the pack,
As smooth a thief as you would ever meet;
She had magenta hair and showed a most uncommon flair
For looking like the sweetest of the sweet.
Now she left the jewelry store when the clock read half past four,
Her bag was stuffed with precious stones galore;
The mighty vault at the back was still open just a crack,
With the owner stretched out upon its floor.
Her pal started up the Jag when he saw her with the swag;
(They called him "Cobra" for his rapid strikes).
She swung open a door and tossed the loot upon the floor;
Slid into a seat and said, "Take us—Yikes!"
A big blond guy was yelling at them from across the street;
(She couldn't help but think, "Oh, what a hunk!")
Six lanes of traffic blurred his words, but 'twas time for swift retreat;
If his shouting brought the cops, they might be sunk!
So they pretended not to see as Steve waved frantically;
They pulled away and vanished in a trice.
He waited for the light, then crossed over so that he might
Retrieve from the sidewalk a fallen bit of "ice."
Author's Note: Yes, you and I both know that in his 2011 movie Captain America showed he could run fast enough to keep up with a moving car in New York City traffic—but he's in civilian clothes here, and I'm working on the theory that he doesn't feel the need to blow his cover right here and now. (Nor does he want to set a dangerously bad example for children by "playing in traffic" and making it look safe.)