The Mad Dog and a Pet Lion

Submitted by Tamany Dual

The poem below was written about the events of #UGDecides2021. The author shares their feelings, thoughts, and emotions about the elections period and the election results.

Verse 1

Mom and dad tell me

And I listen quietly

They tell me they had a puppy

From their own they fed him

Verse 2

With speed, it grew in size, in strength

Soon, its age overtook its beauty

The age brought with it … was it rabies?

Some said a type of “dog madness”

Verse 3

The bitch became a nuisance

O! What could they do?

Chain it? But how? It was a menace all over

Kill it? But how? A mad and angry hound?

Verse 4

Relief! Relief! Look, a lion cub in a nearby bush

Could it draw near to save us

Sure, near and near it drew

Near and near our rescue drew

Verse 5

The cub entered in

It pounced onto its prey;

Bum! The hound was gone

Ah! At last, the one burden is no more

Verse 6

We gave milk to the cub

Even our own, the potatoes and meat

Make him domesticated, we envisioned

Where we lived, he lived and in comfort

Verse 7

Time passed the cub grew into a lion

Milk and potatoes and food, we bought more

But alas! It was lion not a dog

For a lion it had been; and a lion it grew to be

Verse 8

A puzzle. Which was better, preferable?

A savior lion or a pet dog?

We were back to the original danger.

Getting rid of the lion was a huge dilemma

Verse 9

The strange thing, a big one

To the dog, mom and dad were bad masters

To the lion my parents were a meal

Time, it was just a question of time

Verse 10

My parents were at a loss as to what to do

I implored them to coin the solution, their answer, angazi

Perhaps, they whispered, just be of age you will know how

Yes, grow muscles and grow brain, you will do it

Verse 11

It is still on my brain and I have sleepless nights

For how I inherit my parents’ house with a lion as master?

Yes, it is still on my mind and sure, I should not rest

Till I am master of the house, and never be docile thereafter