POETRY: WHO SAW THE PEACOCK DANCE NAKED IN THE JUNGLE?

WHO SAW THE PEACOCK DANCE NAKED IN THE JUNGLE 

Jerry Adesewo, 27/01/2025

 

Who saw the peacock, once proud in its feathers,

Dance stripped of its glory in the heart of the forest?

Did the elders not warn us of the tale that runs deep,

That pride, when unchecked, crumbles beneath its weight?

The hunter spoke softly to the moonlit sky,

“An empty eye cannot know the wisdom of the hunt.”

The peacock, adorned in the brilliance of its robe,

Forgot that beauty fades, but strength endures.

Beneath the shade of the ancient tree,

The animals gathered to witness the spectacle.

The dog barked out wisdom, “Before you climb the palm tree,

Remember where you set your feet.”

The tortoise chuckled, wise and slow,

“A bird that struts too proudly forgets the earth beneath it.”

The animals whispered, their voices low,

“Foolish pride is always a feast for shame.”

The peacock, once dazzling in the sunlight,

Now stood bare, its feathers scattered like dreams undone.

“One eye alone cannot see all truth,” said the hare to the squirrel,

For wisdom is not the prize of the proud.

The hyena howled with laughter, sharp and cruel,

“Who sends the lazy to do a hunter’s work?”

And so, the peacock, shorn of its pride and grace,

Danced naked beneath the mocking eyes of the forest.

Who saw it and said nothing?

The mouth that silences truth only delays its return.

The traveler sees the wound and must share the tale,

For silence does not heal the wounds of the world.

When the dawn came, the ancient tree sighed,

“Time moves forward, yet the lessons remain behind.”

Who saw the peacock dance naked in the jungle?

The earth, the wind, and the ones who dare to speak.

 

 

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