Bird Scaring
They come in droves and drones Winging wildly overhead at great speed Making straight for the millet crop Standing all white in the fields: The promise of a bumper harvest! Men, women, and kids rise up in arms To defend their labour and sweat Against these marauding birds; These little ravenous beasts, That come whirling and twirling Nibbling, gnawing, and hacking! Destroyers and usurpers, the lot of them! They suck, slurp, and scatter And bring to naught months of sweat. So we howl and yell and scream: Haaaaa! Haaaaa! And curse them all morning Till we grow hoarse and hissy. Read: Village Boy Impressions - The seasons at home We all rise before the sun And divide the fields between us Every mother and every father That has toiled in the burning sun Through planting and weeding Now stand guard and ready Keeping a sharp eye on the fields. Every kid in every compound Is armed with a can and a stick And with our shrill vo