This puffin used to preen himself,
proud of how he looked,
believing that his profile would one day
decorate the spines of children’s books,
and so, he often fluttered down
near the window of the island school
to hear the children recite verse,
learn ABC and simple rules
of grammar, that one day might help
them read aloud the stories he enjoyed,
like Treasure Island, Jungle Book,
Little Lord Fauntelroy,
until the day when learning puffed him up
to do something even braver, bolder,
when he rested on a seaman’s head
and nestled down upon his shoulder.
‘Captain Flint,’ he sang aloud,
‘Doubloons… Pieces of eight,’
till the sailor caught him by the neck
and he became the very next meal they ate.
And so the moral of this tale;
if you live in dangerous times,
don’t let vanity gush through your head.
Stay secure and safe with nursery rhymes.