Monday, April 2, 2012

The Big Mistake


MAGPIE TALES
http://magpietales.blogspot.com.au/
supplied the prompt

THE BIG MISTAKE

'Be careful what you wish for'
How often I've heard that said!
And it's only now the meaning
Has penetrated my head.
For I wished to be an eagle;
I wished to roam the skies;
I wished to rule the mountain-tops
And to fly as an eagle flies.
I dreamed of riding the currents
And of being completely free.
I was ready to ditch the earthbound clod
That represented me.
And so my wish was granted!
I swooped on high all day.
I saw the world beneath my wings;
In a totally different way.
I was Lord of all Creation,
I was greatest of all birds;
My joy and exhilaration
Exceeded human words.
But then, as the sun was setting,
I began to yearn for bed,
Not, at first, realising,
That I'd have a nest instead!
So here I seek for comfort
In a very limited space;
A night squashed in these prickly bits
Is more than I can face!
No more stupid wishes for me!
I just can't stand the strain!
'Be careful what you wish for'
Is ringing in my brain.
*
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FRIENDS
(A Poem for Children)

Dinna cry, Shep! I love you too.
Both of you have jobs to do.
Fergus can carry me on his back
All along the heather track.
Fergus is big and he is wise;
He looks at me with his great big eyes.
Fergus's mane is very thick;
And when he gallops he's very quick.
I give him carrots and stroke his nose.
And where I'm going Fergus goes.
But he can't round-up the silly sheep,
Or catch a ball with a great big leap.
And he can't lie in front of the fire
And watch the winter flames burn higher.
And he can't lay his head on my knee
Or run and fetch a stick for me.
He can't curl up on my bed
When I have an aching head.
And Shep, you know that, in the end,
A dog, not a horse, is man's best friend.
Dinna cry, Shep! I love you too.
Both of you have jobs to do.
*

10 comments:

Madeleine Begun Kane said...

LOL! I especially liked your first poem.

Unknown said...

I loved the freedom of your first poem..... it just soared, but the Scottish textures of your second poem, stole my heart and reminded me of James Herriot. Thanks for sharing.

Sueann said...

Yes we should be careful what we wish for! Ha!!
Hugs
SueAnn

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Sometimes we do indeed have to be careful what we wish for! Loved the poem!

Anna :o]

Little Nell said...

A prickly nest wouldn’t be my idea of a good night’s sleep either. I like this take on the prompt.

Tess Kincaid said...

Be careful what you wish for, indeed...

Jinksy said...

Sleeping in a twiggy nest wouldn't be my idea of comfort, either! LOL

Linda said...

I loved the one about being careful what you wish for. It can have dire consequences. My character had a similar experience.

miss pie said...

the power of wings enabling one to fly can have a blinding effect... wonderful...

Helena said...

Cracking poems! I read the children's one with full-blown Scottish-slang dialect! The picture just matches your verse wonderfully. Horse? Pah......?!