It is dawn and the little monkey is thirsty
he drinks on with no ear for the evils
da da dum he drinks and raises his head in glee
Tum tum the hospitable brooks gurgle
the leopard prances in the thicket
from a distance father monkey calls
little monkey stiffens and swings away
the leopard retreats.
The sheep scamper with the puppies
they lay across the road with goats
the sheep amble with the calves
while frisking with the kids the ewe calls
gambol with the puppies but never eat the same
move with the goats but never act the same
saunter with the calves but stray not to the bullring
this the orphaned lamb knows not.
The moorhen flies to the runnel
the pipit adores serenity
the thrush and the blackbird perches
the fowler spreads his net
the poacher triggers his riffle
mother thrush tweets and squawks
the fowler fouls up and the poacher poaches void
only the deaf bird is entangled.
This poem is about parent-child relationship. It uses the relationship between animals and their parents to convey its message. The first stanza focuses on a thirsty little monkey drinking at the brooks and a leopard ready to pounce on it but the father monkey saves his child by calling to him and by doing this, the little monkey escapes and the leopard retreats. This is more of our parents saving us from the evil ones in the world we are in.
The second stanza focuses on the lambs and their relationship with other animals including dogs, goats and cattle. While moving with them, their mother called and asked them to move with those animals but be careful around them. We can relate this to ourselves. Parents warning their children to be careful of the kinds of friends to keep.
The last stanza focuses on birds. They are carried away by the present and enjoy every bit of it but the' fowler and the poacher' aim to ensnare them. However, the call of the mother thrush save the birds that listen. This can also be traced to the lives of human beings. Those who listen to their parents hardly fall into traps.
This is a poem of three stanzas with eight lines each (an octave). Poetic devices include imagery, onomatopoeia, repetition and alliteration.