MANTICORE
Through the awful sky
The Manticore is soaring,
Seeking human prey below
Its manlike head is roaring.
Through the evil darkness
The sphinx-like terror roams,
Waiting for the gullibly to leave
The safety of their homes.
A lion-like beast is flying
Across the peaceful azure blue,
No hint of the monstrous things
The Manticore is about to do.
A tail of long, lethal spines
It can shoot out at its prey,
Sleeping through the night-time
Hunting throughout the day.
Hunting out living prey
From oceans to burnished sand,
Living upon most creatures
Yet its favourite food is man.
Sweeping through the skies
So majestically it's winging,
Then raising its man-like head
It begins an unearthly singing.
Spotting humans far below
The Manticore is descending,
Fearless people dance and play
Their lives will soon be ending.
THE END
© Copyright 2022 Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
About this poem
The Manticore in legend has the head of a human, the body of a lion, and a tail of venomous spines similar to porcupine quills, while other depictions have it with the tail of a scorpion. There are some accounts that the spines can be shot like arrows, thus making the manticore a lethal predator
Written on July 25, 2022
Submitted by philip0157 on September 15, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 50 sec read
- 3 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XABA XCXC ADXD XEXE EXXX XAXA BAEA XXX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 891 |
Words | 166 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3 |
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"MANTICORE" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/137701/manticore>.
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