'The Locusts'

Rishi Manuel of I form was highly commended in the 2010 Junior Poetry Prize. Here is his poem 'The Locusts':


'The Locusts' by Rishi Manuel

The locusts went to Africa
One very sunny day,
They saw a healthy calf just then
And went along to play.
Two hours later the deed was done,
The calf was dead as dust.
The farmer’s wife came out to see
And said, ‘Find the culprit you must’.

The farmer never found the locusts,
For they were far away.
They had flown through half of Asia,
And landed in Bombay.
Swarming from towns to cities,
Sickness in its path,
Until the rain came pouring down
And they went for a deadly bath.