Struthio

By Ewan

Sun, 08 Aug 2021
  • 543 reads
2 comments
 

Our quondam cousins listen,

ear to dusty earth,

awaiting sounds of dingo or humans.

 

They look foolish.

 

We follow the clouds

through the outback,

chasing rain for unslaked thirst.

 

We look upward.

 

Imagine: interlopers in your land,

running wild, unsuited

to the world and the way.

 

We look behind.

 

Dingoes or eagles, we prevail.

None shall overcome us,

save the featherless two-legs.

 

They look harmless.

 

 

Footnote: 

Not the name of a minor Shakespearean character, but the genus Linnaeus first applied to ostriches, which once upon a time was applied to the Emu - and later wasn't. Escaped common ostriches in Australia have established feral populations. I expect you'll work out who "we" and "they" are.
 

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Comments

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Till I read you footnote I thought perhaps Struthio might have come from strewth - sort of thing might be said when surprised by an ostrich :0)

I wonder if white people looked like maggots at first

 

Submitted by Nolan on

Ostriches really are so big they race with them- like horse racing you know carrying a jocky. Ostriches are also known as ooh=ah birds for the laying eggs. Also when he goes it's ass stretches. But I think of course you're talking of an emu, the Australian "ostrich".

Cheers! Nice day! Nolan