On John Clare's Badger Poem by Francis Duggan

John Clare of Helpston the great poet of the English countryside
Wrote of a badger who was beaten with sticks by men and was savaged by a pack of dogs and died
A small creatures who was outnumbered by men and dogs and was without a friend
Against all odds who put up a valiant battle to the end
The truth in this great poem does live today
As those who know of badgers always say
That a badger would beat any dog three times it's weight and size
Though small to look at their toughness under attack surprise
John Clare's poem on the badger truly said it all
How a creature in it's ways shy and outnumbered and small
Would never die without putting up a fight
To witness badger baiting is not a pleasant sight
On the death of a badger the truth in John Clare's poem lives on today
Those who know of badgers too see it this way.