When Cockatoos Could Fly

There was an angry Armadillo

with ugly angry scars 

He lived off roadkill crystal meth

and chewed on cheap cigars

He hated all the Cockatoos 

up from  the Amazon

He said they'd get our DNA

We'd turn like Babylon 

Armadillo hated feathers 

Armadillo hated beaks

Armadillo hated Cockatoos

Those filthy flying freaks 

He walked along the rusty fence

Looking for Cockatoos 

He knew those birds were Taliban 

on evil rendezvous 

The Cockatoos would cross the fence

escaping crocodiles 

Who bit their beaks down to their necks

and ate their juveniles 

The Cockatoos were terrified 

They had to get away

The rusty fence their best defense 

to live another day 

But the angry Armadillo 

cooked up conspiracies

the Cockatoos were terrorists 

and carried leprosy 

He rounded up the Cockatoos 

and with a righteous smile 

rammed them through the rusty fence

back to the Crocodiles 

Crocodiles caught Cockatoos 

and drown them in the mud 

The rusty fence had been secured

on Cockatoo spilled blood 

Humanity had lost its way 

The Cockatoos were lost

Old Armadillo got his way

and slaughter was the cost

And time erases memories 

when feathers filled the sky 

with tearful eyes of times gone by

When Cockatoos could fly 

 

Author's Note

Th-th-th-th-That's all folks

Reviews

[TL Boehm]

Well dang that's good. I am a little slow on the uptake - but I figured this one out and thought the allegory was fantastic.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you TL

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is a fantastic allegory of prejudice....so much a disease in itself.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Jacob

[Harmony-Lee]

I sense you could replace the animals with other names and faces you've come across?
Well done, flows so well and very creative.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Lee

[hardeep sabharwal]

human qualities in animals,
interesting work :) I enjoyed reading

[Baby Ricochet]

Thanks for stopping by

[Frieda P]

Interesting, quirky but you got your point across. What are you smoking?...only you could think of Cockatoos, Taliban, Armadillos and Babylon and make it work so well...

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Frieda. I get WAY to groovy if I smoke weed so I never do.

[Frieda P]

Funnier that you're not...you have a natural high Baby.

[AprilRN1210]

I applaud your ability to take a serious subject, turn it upside down in a witty metaphor, playful flow,clever rhymes and slightly humorous sarcasm yet still get the message across... pretty damn amazing sir... deep and entertaining...

[Baby Ricochet]

thanks for stopping by

[Sami Khalil]

"Humanity had lost its way
The Cockatoos were lost
Old Armadillo got his way
and slaughter was the cost

And time erases memories
when feathers filled the sky"

Wow. I felt a powerful and relevant message here dear poet. I love those lines Pryde quoted too...Bravo................

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Sami

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome...:).........................

[Lyn Anderson]

This feels like a dark "Animal Farm" only the Armadillo is the pig. A really smart piece, as always. Your wit is sharp and your politics bite. One thing, the it's in this case is possessive and should be its.

[Baby Ricochet]

Animal Farm was a good, if somewhat dated book. Thanks for the grammar correction. I'll change it

[Bill O. Writes]

I enjoyed this a lot. The human qualities in the animals. It made me feel the racism, jealousy of the armadillo.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Bill

[Pryde Foltz]

And time erases memories
when feathers filled the sky
with tearful eyes of times gone by
When Cockatoos could fly

Yowzers … baby … you know I love my allegories and this is an allegory I envy. Fantastic job.

[Baby Ricochet]

Thank you Pryde