Beware the beast !

It's a jungle out there folks.....be careful !

Shun the tiger, silent and stealth
searching for its quarry,
stay indoors and mind your health
or you'll be very sorry!

Don't dip your toes, in the water cool
where the crocodile patiently waits,
for you will look a silly fool
if swallowed whole, in front of all your mates!

Be watchful of prowling wolf
when walking through a leafy wood,
run away, should you hear its ghastly howl
don't be naive, like little red riding hood!

Heed the hyena's mocking laugh
hungry for meat, red and raw,
let not yourself be chewed in half
by its powerful, bone crushing jaw!

Avoid the snake in the grass
hiding out of sight,
keep on the path, don't trespass
or you'll receive a poisonous bite!

If playing the fine, colonial game
in land of mahout and elephant,
guard against the mosquito's toxic aim
and rebuff it with repellant!

Step over the ant, small and placid
is my solemn decree,
for it is armed with formic acid
just like a million brothers,
from the colony!

And beware the beast, trust the least,
a bloodthirsty creature, known as Man,
no lethal jaws, rasping claws, poisonous bite, nor acidic might..
But he may kill you...just because he Can?

Reviews

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Wonderful and wise poem! Childrens’ parable and adults’ admonition to recognize hidden dangers and beware. Love the animal verses! Great language, form, flow, cadence and imagery. Last verse is so relevant now-how lethal man is “just because he can”. Important poem and lesson. Thank you Tom.

[Tom]

Yes, sadly still rings true, Man, always the aggressor!

Thank you Annette for stopping by my friend!

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

You are so welcome Tom-a joy to read this!:)

[Norman T]

Wonderfully accurate portrayals of all the creatures expressed in a novel way. The most chilling was the final verse, as that is the creature most difficult to avoid. A most enjoyable poem.
..........Norman

[Tom]

Yes indeed Norman you got it & thanks for your insightful review !

[C. Rose]

"silent and stealth" felt strange to me (possibly because they are different word forms). Consider "silence and stealth"
"brothers,from" - missing space

I like that each stanza moves to a new animal, or sometimes several. It keeps the piece moving.

Solid twist at the end :)
I was a bit thrown that you dropped the rhyme scheme, but it isn't unheard of to change the scheme for the last stanza.

Well penned and thank you for sharing :)

[Tom]

Thank you C. Rose

[Zahra]

An amazing e cool one. Interesting read

[Tom]

Many thank you's indeed Zahra for your welcome visit !

[Einstein Noodle]

big to tiny ... in the end it's man (universally speaking of course) that calls the shot .. you so very wisely point out that the fooled among us are still vulnerable ... there is a contrast (deliberate or no) that bounces between a light hearted children's book (i'm exaggerating) and a very serious social commentary on killer man .. i have to be honest .. i am not sure it quite works for me ... i think i must come back again to read ... it is a jungle .. and admonitions to be careful need to be paid attention to (i raised two sons and daughters:) .. perhaps syntax has been sacrificed here for the rhyme .. ?
later
E.

[Tom]

Thank you Einstein Noodle for your interesting critique, the point being of course is that animals can be unpredictably dangerous if we choose to intrude on their domain, man himself needs little if any reason to Kill !

[Einstein Noodle]

yes .. and your intention comes through :))
E.

[A. Amos]

Now that was a journey inside the world of wild beast and you end with the wildest of all monsters. The beast of the city...Human!
I truly enjoyed the read, well done my friend

[Tom]

Thank you kindly A. For your welcome visit and encouraging review !

[A. Amos]

You're most welcome my friend...

[Mazie]

I thought this was a really great poem :) Has a really nice flow, and is very descriptive. I can picture it, which is a good thing, no matter what type of writing it is :) I enjoyed it!

[Tom]

Thank you CraziWriter for your insightful critique !

[Mazie]

anytime ^^

[Briana O'Connor]

I don't know if this was meant to be funny, but it was filled with little quips within the rhymes that made this even more brilliant! The concept was enlightening and the theme was vivid and thrilling. Thank you for sharing and keep up the good work. Please return the favor by reviewing one of my pieces.

[Tom]

Thank you for your interesting and informative review !

[little thoughts]

the last stanza is something very ' good written'. welldone

[Tom]

Thank you kindly !

[Anika Morris]

I love the flow with the various animals and insect and the danger they pose. I also like how you emphasized about the danger they bring too. Great poem!

[Tom]

Thank you very much Anika for your perceptive analysis !

[ReneeJ]

The closed with a bang my dear. It was like the icing on the cake. I loved the rhymes, and the flow made it easy to read. So creative and new! well done

[Tom]

Thank you ReneeJ !