Hello! Is anyone there? Hello and Hello!
I’m the handsome Cape African buffalo
No one’s succeeded in taming me
So I live contented, wild and free
Apart from hopeful lions and crocs
I survive quite well with very few shocks.
My worst nightmare? to be stalked and hunted
And by men with guns to be confronted
They shoot me dead, my blood runs red
Then on their walls they mount my head.
No care that each pair of stolen horns
Leaves a buffalo mother who weeps and mourns.
We’re one of Africa’s most dangerous beasts
At frightening hunters, we’re quite the artistes.
We’re heavy and stocky and pretty darned large
So, gun bearing hunters who force us to charge
Take one of us on and you take on the herd
We all fight together, once given the word.
Both buffalo genders grow great curly horns
Just perfect for running through bush and through thorns
The horns of the male grow a whole fifth longer
And they’re joined in the middle to make them stronger
This difference in structure is called the ‘boss’
The females don’t have it, but it’s really no loss.
Cape’s a strong buffalo – eighteen hours on the go
Daily hunting and grazing and dodging his foe
Thirty points off two m* is around his height –
Now that’s tall enough to give hunters a fright.
And get this: he can often weigh close to a ton
A beast that size could sure spoil your fun.
Now – here’s a special word to enrich your life
But using it may cause all sorts of strife
Most people your age have never seen it
And yet in some ways they’ve probably been it!
Well come on then, let’s have the word
I want to be a clever nerd.
Symbiotic’s the word, it means helping each other
Working together, like friend and brother.
An example of this is the buffalo’s cleaner
On head or back, you’ll not see one keener
Than the little Oxpecker who scours his skin
Making really sure that no nasties get in.
The Oxpecker bird has a bill red or yellow
He’s a useful mate and a really good fellow.
He picks off the ticks that bother the buff’
He eats all the insects that make his life rough
And by cleaning his friend he gets a good meal
And both of them reckon that that’s a good deal.
Without the bird he’d be covered with ticks
That’s not a good way to get your kicks
So the little Oxpecker performs this service
He does it for free – no need to get nervous
They give to each other, that’s really nice
And there’s never a word said about price.
That’s all for today of the African jungle
My brain’s asleep and I don’t want to bungle
The info I share ‘bout this Natural wonder
And the dear little birds who peck and plunder
So I’ll say goodbye and a snooze I’ll borrow –
I’ll be on the next page as soon as tomorrow.
*m = metres
Photo from Pexels by Harvey Sapir
Australian Children’s Poetry 