The Scarecrows Poem by Tony Adah

The scarecrows walk the farm
In the daytime
And by night they bursted into flames
First the birds were fearful
Of the inanimate men
Then the fearless thieves feared that
The flames might reveal them.

We were the scarecrows
The generals of the farm
We hunted squirrels and rabbits
Pelicans and wild hens
And we set traps that caught some at night.

At harvest season
We slept in the farm
We swollen cheeks like mumps patients
And bulging tummies from the bounty
Of the farm
This season, the teachers hardly recognize us
We scarcely had a portion
Of our mother's kitchen
And father smiled jaw to jaw
For the safety of the farm
We the scarecrows kept sentry upon
We were happy for this was
The season of famine.