Rathers Poem by Mary Austin

Rathers

Rating: 4.3


I know very well what I'd rather be
If I didn't always have to be me!
I'd rather be an owl,
A downy feathered owl,
A wink-ity, blink-ity, yellow-eyed owl
In a hole in a hollow tree.
I'd take my dinner in chipmunk town,
And wouldn't I gobble the field mice down,
If I were a wink-ity, blink-ity owl,
And didn't always have to be me!

I know very well what I'd like to do
If I didn't have to do what I do!
I'd go and be a woodpecker,
A rap-ity, tap-ity, red-headed woodpecker
In the top of a tall old tree.
And I'd never take a look
At a lesson or a book,
And I'd scold like a pirate on the sea,
If I only had to do what I like to do,
And didn't always have to be me!

Or else I'd be an antelope,
A pronghorned antelope,
With lots of other antelope
Skimming like a cloud on a wire-grass plian.
A bounding, bouncing antelope,
You'd never get me back to my desk again!

Or I might be a puma,
A singe-colored puma,
A slinking, sly-foot puma
As fierce as fierce could be!
And I'd wait by the waterholes where antelope drink
In the cool of the morning
And I do
not
think
That ever any antelope could get away from me.

But if I were a hunter,
A red Indian hunter -
I'd like to be a hunter, -
I'd have a bow made of juniper wood
From a lightning-blasted tree,
And I'd creep and I'd creep on that puma asleep
A flint tipped arrow,
An eagle feathered arrow,
For a puma kills calves and a puma kills sheep,
And he'd never eat any more antelope
If he once met up with me!

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Susan Williams 22 November 2015

Children are so bloodthirsty! An amusing poem but there really is a dark side to it

25 1 Reply
K.c. Ford 22 November 2015

A fun read with an interesting meaning.

3 2 Reply
sanjana 27 May 2018

I need explanation of poem rathers

3 1 Reply
Anna Williams 15 April 2018

that poem was brilliant and wonderful.

2 0 Reply
Hanshikhaa 05 October 2021

Sahana

0 1 Reply
Kuljit 26 December 2020

Please explain the poem

1 0 Reply
Riddhi 26 March 2019

Please explain the poem

1 0 Reply
Sanju 01 August 2018

This is a beautiful poem

1 0 Reply
Jyoti 06 July 2018

Atleast also describe the explanation of the poem

1 0 Reply
rinki 03 August 2019

Atleast also describe the explanation of the poem (Report) Reply

0 0
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