For Poppy, Rose, Ruby and Bonnie.

I want to be a seagull,
A seagull by the sea.
I’d eat discarded fish and chips
And happy I would be.
Much easier than catching sprats
Much tastier than brill
I’d feast upon the batter
Until I’d had my fill.

The local bylaws ban it,
The fine’s a million quid
But still some kindly tourist
Would drop some chips, if bid.
I’d squawk around their ear holes,
Dive-bomb and buzz their dish
I’d generate some panic
Then fly off with their fish!

Or maybe I could be a pigeon
By the boating lake
I’d strut and pose for visitors
When photographs they take.
The little children sail their boats
While parents take a nap
I’d sidle up so quietly
And on their heads I’d c**p.

By: Peter Hughes