Poem from book . ‘Choice for Teenagers’ - a book for teenagers and secondary schools by Dr Audrey Coatesworth
To listen fo the poem - go to http://poetrybooksaudreycoatesworth.com/#/audio-sample-poems/4541990890
The Flamingo
‘Yes, I know I’m beautiful’
To her image the flamingo said
She was looking in the water
Admiration in her head
‘How boring it must be
To be dressed in shades of grey
It wouldn’t suit me for a week
No, not even for a day’
The crocodile was listening
He stood quite still - to stare
‘I am ugly, I know that well
But, in her mind is only air
The colour of her feathers is
All she can think about’
He splashed her with dark mud
And laughed when she did shout
‘Beauty is in the beholder’
He said, a twinkle in his eye
‘It’s lucky for you I don’t like pink
Or to eat you I might try
Personally - I think you’re silly
With feathers instead of brain
I prefer someone with more sense’
‘I shan’t listen to you again’
Offended - she strutted on her way
She joined the massive flock
When she looked around her
She felt a kind of mental shock
‘We are h u n d r e d s - all the s a m e
I’m not different, nor the best’
For the first time she realised
She looked just like all the rest
CopyrightACoatesworth 2007
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