The Last Laugh

The poem tells the story of the great 'Battle Royal' waged between the scavengers of the sky and the scavengers of the land, with all the twists and turns, and how it ended in a ludicrous manner.

The Last Laugh,
A Drama Unfolds


The huge bison lay dead
At the edge of the forest,
Its rotting flesh spreading the smell
Of invitation to the scavengers.

Soon gathered around the carcass
Scavengers of the sky
And those that prowl the land,
Each fighting for its share,
Each showing its animosity
To the other claimant.

The body was opened up
By the persistent efforts
Of teeth and claws,
With torn flesh and skin hanging,
But the strong bones stood
Defiant and unyielding
To the brutal force.

Vultures and hyenas each
Tried to scare the other
Into leaving the scene
With utmost cunning
And hidden threats.

A strong vulture of the group,
Seemingly the leader,
Spoke in a stentorian voice.

“Take yourself away, you all,
Now and at once
From this battle field,
Else you’ll find yourselves
A rotting carcass
Just like the one
You are now feeding on”.

Having uttered the threat,
In a show of belligerence,
He jumped high
Only to land
On the exposed bones
Of the dead bison
With such tremendous force
That his fat leg
With its claws together
Glided between the bones-
Two strong ones,
Smeared with blood and the slimy flesh.

He was stunned
At the unforeseen accident,
He found himself trapped
In the rib cage.

Every attempt he made
Took its toll on his strength,
He turned deathly pale
While the entire clan
Looked on without a clue.

But there was glee
On the wily faces
Of the four-legged ones
That were watching
The hilarious drama
Of the boaster
Suffering the ignominy
For all his bluster.

The crowd of stunned vultures,
Rendered leaderless,
Moved closer to their leader,
In a show of solidarity
And display of valour.

Laughing aloud in chorus
To hide their sinking courage,
They warned the advancing hyenas
Of grave consequences
If they dared approach
Their valiant leader.

“You’ll be torn to pieces
Once he is free,
Step back from where you’re,
Unless you’re driven
By a death wish”

But the hyenas were aware
That the game was over
For the struggling leader
With no strength or power
To free himself
From the unyielding trap.

A lean, hungry hyena,
Driven by extreme hunger
And emboldened by the sight
Of the strengthless bird
Leaped high in the air
And caught the vulture’s head
In a vice-like grip
Of his strong teeth
And landed with a thud,
With the vulture’s head,
Struggling in the mouth,
With blood, feathers and all;

While the avian creed
Looked aghast,
It was the four-legged ones
That had the last laugh.


Raghav R
13.12.2020
©raghavendran