The Hunter

I have fought against the poodle with his gory, deadly paws;
I have faced the fearsome kitten, wild and bony,
And somehow I've evaded the enormous chomping jaws
Of the frighteningly ferocious Shetland pony.

My triumph o'er the rabbit is now sung throughout the land,
And men still speak in whispers of the day
When, attacked by twelve mosquitoes, with my one unwounded hand,
I killed nine of them and dove the rest away.

I have faced the housefly in his lair, I have stalked the ladybug
And the caterpillar, grim and fierce and hairy;
That trophy there is bumblebee, and this, my favourite rug,
Has been fashioned from the hide of a canary.

I have dove into the ocean to do combat with a shrimp,
I have dared the hen to come on out and fight;
I have battled with the butterfly (that's why I have this limp),
And I slew a monstrous grubworm just last night.

But this evening I must sally forth to meet the savage moth,
And if I don't come back in time for tea,
You shall know that I fell gallantly, as gallantly I fought
So please be gentle when you speak of me.

Reviews

[OceanTropic]

I am absolutely in love with this poem.

I am telling the truth when I say I felt a surge of joy when I read the line

I have dove into the ocean to do combat with a shrimp,

I love your emphasis on all things small. Your aggressive actions and these delicate creatures is a beautiful metaphor and I absolutely enjoyed it. The contrast is so symbolic of so many things, and for me it hit home.

I love the irony in the last line as well. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but I absolutely love it. How gentle you have been "battling butterflies" and being injured, in a way succumbing to them, or losing a fight because you are not one to battle these delicate things.

"So be gentle when you speak of me" as if you are weak, when really this shows the grandest strength known to man.

It might not be the message you are trying to convey, but it's the one I got and I absolutely love it. Beautiful piece and I hope you send more read requests my way!

[Fairytale]

Great poem! I liked the way you went out and battled these creatures of nature. I wasn't sure if there was a deeper meaning in this. Cute theme.

[DanielleA94]

Great! I enjoyed the fact you made the tamest of animals seem so dangerous! It was written beautifully and had a good rythem! xoxo

[Max]

Wow! Your rhythm and flow are spot on, and what an adorable poem!
Very enjoyable read. Reminds me a bit of Lewis Caroll :)

[~Sarah~ Idríel T..]

Awesome!

[Viet Pham]

I love the use of humor in your poem, happy people make for a happy review. Anyway your flow is perfect, the words are woven beautifully together and it's quite rare to find such a poem nowadays, so congrats to you for writing it.

[Enigma]

Perfect (a few typos though)! But I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I can't remember the last time I read such a light-hearted poem with such amazing rhymes. Excellent. Well done. Going into my favourites. :)

[Brytt]

Bwahaha! Love!

Rythm is good, Rhyme is great, humor is unbearably perfect!

[TJ]

This was really good! Loved the rhythm loved the flow! I also think it was added touch that the animals weren't what people would uially think of as threatening or scary (except Mosquitos, WEST NILES AHHHHH)
Good work

That was freaking great :) Very nicely done!