English Poems Index


Brother Bent-Nose :


I've an ancient older brother,

He's bold, he's big, he's strong;

He's as clever as a hawk owl,

And sure knows right from wrong.


He's very tall, just like a palm,

Towering over me;

I'm only four foot and a bit,

But he is six foot three!


One day up in a mango tree,

We swung from limb to limb,

Until one snapped, 'Phutaaak!'

it went,

And down I fell, on him.


We landed in a great big pile,

All legs and arms and shins;

I looked at him, and he at me,

No tears, just two big grins.


Up we staggered, quite shakily,

From the shock, I suppose,

And then I noticed, when I looked,

Blood dripping from his nose.


What once was straight and

Romanesque,

Appeared all torn and rent,

The poor old hooter on his face

Forevermore was bent!


So now we're older, wiser too,

We keep well clear of trees,

We leave the climbing and the tricks

To apes and chimpanzees!



By Anonymous



Words to Know :

Ancient : very old

Bold : willing and eager to face danger, fearless

Hawk Owl : a crow-sized owl that acts more like a hawk than an owl. It hunts during the day and is not afraid of humans.

Hooter : informal word for nose, also, one that hoots like an owl

Rent : (past participle of rend) an opening, a rip

Romanesque : in the style of Roman (Italian) architecture

Shin : the front part of the leg below the knee and above the ankle