Terry Flood Poet Rhyme

African Plains

On these arid roasting plains, a virtual frying pan
For beasts to live they must survive on anything they can
Another bug collecting dung, enjoying foetid goodness
May perhaps have much to teach my fellow starving man

Often poop quickly rots so tastes uniquely vile
It must be freshly dropped and not lay there for a while
But when the grass is history and rain becomes a mystery
The king of beast himself would eat a rancid crocodile

But every year the rain on which we’re helplessly dependent 
Shall fill the empty river bed where hippos are attendant
Herds of antelope come out where lush green grass again shall sprout
Lions muster now on plains: quietly resplendent

But there a shortage everywhere of places we can live
Property developers do things we can’t forgive
And builders can’t deny encouraging financial gain
They can sell their houses here, if it doesn't rain 



4 August 2021
For: Alpha Lines Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Joseph May

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Eve Roper August 3, 2021 at 7:49 PM Great write, Terry, I do love your poems. Good luck in the contest. Terry Flood August 4, 2021 at 12:27 AM Thank you Eve. As I said to Milt, I looked at the contest a few times but my brain wouldn’t play ball. Suddenly with places running out something jyst pinged. Glad you enjoyed. Terry

L Milton Hankins August 3, 2021 at 7:03 PM Terry, you are a master poet!!! Your lines are so clear, and you have written some beauties here, including the ABC ones. I envy your gift. Good luck in the contest. This would be a perfect POTD or POTW! Terry Flood August 4, 2021 at 12:38 AM A master poet?... with a gift?... you may call again young man. Thank you for such gracious compliments, Milt. I couldn’t tell you how many times I pondered this contest and drew a blank. So I pulled my thinking cap over my ears and had one more go. Once I had ‘bugs collecting dung’ I was on a roll. I was actually done at three stanzas, but that little fella sat on my shoulder cleared his throat and whispered, ‘They’ll build all over that one day.’ Well, it would have been rude to ignore him ;-) Terry