John The Odd

With other children games he did not play When they played football he would steal away To take short walk or rest in shade of tree He felt happy in his own company. He did not have sporting hero as a god And other children called him 'John the odd' And other put down names like idiot and fool But he ignored their taunts and kept his cool. He loved Nature and Nature was his friend And his leisure hours out with Nature he spend And 'twas Nature first taught him to be a poet And to her children his first rhymes he wrote. He wrote of Nature's creatures living free The birds of song who live on bush and tree The animals that live on land and sea He loved Nature and her huge family. From their schooldays men recall John the odd They say he went to join his Nature God One morning he left home for far away And none know of his whereabouts today. With other boys he did not play football And those who went to school with him recall That with Nature he spent his leisure time And 'twas Mother Nature who taught him how to rhyme.