Pelican

We know, and you know,

who's Boss and numero uno:

the guy who swaggers,

who Mick Jaggers.

Look at that bald coot.
hardly visible in the shoot;

hasn't a chance to shine,

to speak even one line,

pecking the dirt

in his black shirt,
while you just gloat

over that great pink throat,

and the enormous beak

which is the peak

attraction, igniting sparks

in the Royal Parks.

  

Like an 'S' hook
we follow the crook

of your distinctive shape

from webbed feet to nape

and that sexy tuft's

the sort of thing that Cruft's

would reward in a poodle.

You're a child's doodle.

This poem, Pelican, is from Nicholas Murray's new collection of funny, enchanting and moving poems about animals. Some were read at this year's Ledbury Poetry Festival to great acclaim.
Melos will be featuring the book and others at the Poetry Book Fair in September.