Friday 22 March 2013

'The Common Cormorant'

'The Common Cormorant', an illustration by JVL in The Song that Sings the Bird; 
Poems for Young Children, chosen by Ruth Craft, Collins, 1989, page 59.

The Common Cormorant or shag
Lays eggs inside a paper bag
The reason you will see no doubt
It is to keep the lightning out.
But what these unobservant birds
Have never noticed is that herds
Of wandering bears may come with buns
And steal the bags to hold the crumbs.

This poem has often been attributed to that ubiquitous creative person known as 'Anon' but 
Christopher Isherwood's name has sometimes been put forward as the creator of this magnificent poem.



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