THE JUNGLE

A man went into the jungle

And stepped upon some bones

The dew was dried but still he tried

To rest on weary stones

The forest tried to warn him

Alas he did not heed

And on he went with nothing meant

Except to quell his need

He leered into the stream and bent

Down low upon its bank

Until the watered gurgled

Not pleased with being drank

The sinew fruit lay barren

After he’d had his fill

And someone in the forest hissed

“Fear not- we’ll beat him still!”

He walked on through the giants

Which he called timber gold

Tripping along their roots

And planning for them to be sold

Alas, the panther was hungry

And stalking him as his prey

There's nothing quite like the manflesh

And no catch is as easy as they

The man was not a foolish one

And his machete was long

The panther attack was ferocious

But the man was equally strong

The panther was forced in retreat

Licking his mortal wounds

The man forged on through the jungle

Not heeding the thunder's boom

Fear not, the jungle whispered

The usurper will yet be beat

Take him down with an army of ants

To sting him on his feet

The man cried out in pain at that

And fell to the forest floor

Where the clever thorn was waiting

To valiantly prick some more

But quickly he recovered and

More determined he pushed through

The tangles and the nettles 

That once cut- more thickly grew

The pond was waiting patiently

When he arrived at it's shore

He stripped out of his garments

And bathed and washed his sores

We've got him now frogs whispered

The tree trunks rumbled back

The pond was not moved to reply

Its waters turning black

Still on he pushed and wondered

Where does this jungle end

If he finds there some paradise

He must return this way again

At last no end was there for days

As he slept and marched and slept

The jungle waited patiently

As inwards the usurper crept

At last the man realized his fault

Flesh rotting from his wounded palm

The maggots crawling inside out
The maggots were so calm

He's green at last! The jungle cried

The birds squawked out the news

And all the creatures great and small

Watched the man grow more confused

Delirious he tried retreat

But the vines had planned a trap

Where he'd once cut, they grew too thick

And he could not turn back

Alas he fell and withered

And the worms came out to feast

For never would the jungle

Be bested by such a beast

The jungle slowly engulfed him

Til all there was was bones

And later still, those withered

And moss grew like on stones

The man was soon forgotten

The jungle saw more men each day

They mostly were usurpers

And all of them must pay