Peacock with his eyes all staring
At the children passing by
Suddenly, with not much caring,
Gave the most unearthly cry.
Children, as may be expected,
Were quite startled, many cried.
Parents’ warnings left neglected:
Children scattered far and wide.
Meanwhile, peacock, quite unflustered,
Was unbothered by their cries.
Children should have never trusted:
Nature’s beauty often lies.
Emma Jane Grey is a Melbourne-based short-form writer of poetry, book reviews, blog posts, and more. Emma lives with chronic illness and disability and often draws on these experiences in her writing. You can often find Emma talking about books on Instagram @emma_jane_reads.