Her head held high, her nose in the air

She swam in the waters cool and dared

Her home was far, far away,

Across the waters she stayed away

Her colorful wings designed her frills

She longed to seize and smashed her will

Upon the others sailing beside

Her nose did dare her beak stuck high

The others decided she was not nice

Yet there were some who loved to hide

For she ground them on her side

Her vain attempt to show off her plumes

Made the other waters cool

They looked upon her to feed and store

Food and stuff they could not afford…

Since she was high and mighty strong

She clutched the worms to fry and try

The inmates looked aghast to see

Half the stuff disappears at sea

The swan was plumed and stuck up too

So the rest could nothing do

If they tried to raise a cry

She beaked and trussed them

Till they were fried

Lord save them all from such swans that swim

The clear clean waters and make them dim

The good, the bad, the ugly too

Are sometimes bad though not always true

They hang besides the others too

To learn to swim and brag untruth

But the nose is nose and stuck up too

Up in the air… what else to do?

                                        ~Shobha Diwakar

                                         Jabalpur, India