The Famous Sperm Whale (after William McGonagall)

‘Twas in the month of March, in the year 2013,
That a sperm whale was beached, due to plastic debris.
It had voraciously feasted, when it was at sea,
Not on plankton but on sheeting, meant to grow tomatoes for our tea.

Oh! it was a most fearful and beautiful sight,
But we must all be aware of the whale’s sad plight.
To see it lashing the water with its tail
Should make us all weep and wail.

They bravely cut up the whale without delay
And found 59 items of plastic in its stomach, all in disarray.
The stench was revolting, some would say
But most revolting of all was the stench of money.

So Aldi, Carrefour and Tesco,
Exotic fruits can’t be grown al fresco.
Consumers want their fruit out of season
So greenhouses use lots of plastic sheetin’.

And supermarkets know they can make plenty of profit
By ignoring health and safety, not caring about the vomit-
Inducing tale of the famous sperm whale,
Never more to lash its ugly and mighty tail.

Then the people did descend on the supermarket bosses
To make sure they did the right thing, never mind any losses!
The people were angry and put up a good fight.
Will the supermarkets ever listen, or care about our seas’ plight?

Then the people together in crowds did protest
Resolved to change this messed-up system, with civil unrest.
To protect our planet, as it’s the only one we’ve got,
To fight for a decent future for all, is that such a naive thought?

On the beach of beautiful Andalucia, the dead whale sadly lay
And so I will conclude this awful and terrible lay.
There’s a petition to be signed, which here can be reached
To protect our seas, no more whales to be beached.

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You can read some more of my poetry in ‘Little Red Poetry’. All proceeds go to build a new party for ordinary people, against cuts and privatisation.

Copies are also available from Left Books