POEM :
HIPPO STOMPS THE LION
22 March, 2026
Internet references :
YouTube :
“Hippo ate the face of a lion”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Efd83nBLQMY?t=3&feature=share
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“Lion gets too close…”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6WW1OekquJg?t=4&feature=share
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“Lion v hippo”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Tv3fjZtr_1k
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0irFFDv8vo&pp=ygUqaGlwcG8gZ3JhYnMgbGlvbiBhbmQgdGhyb3dzIGhpbSBhYm91dCBsb3Zl
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“That’s how a croc’s life ends…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PfPPdK3wcc&pp=ygUqaGlwcG8gZ3JhYnMgbGlvbiBhbmQgdGhyb3dzIGhpbSBhYm91dCBsb3Zl
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https://www.google.com/search?q=Can+a+big+hippo+grab+an+entire+lion%27s+head+with+its+mouth+%3F&rlz=1C1BNSD_enMU1106MU1106&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQABjvBTIHCAIQABjvBdIBCjI3NDk4ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBfED3kY9yo2k&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&udm=50&fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3sbM0Xv-BZKE_VrZb6-djVhOtEikQxVPaqfTMUjZRiWtc4eIxdwaGq8rf74gkoZQnfxrgsCssjzlM59qezx9pUw4gt-vqmoAWwbNu3522qQGPUg2dT54umcX-Uly3xZdwhfDXVWUCOkZUmP8li2DgvyWPJxUmojJsM3aPwnlF9rOvUwTYg&ved=2ahUKEwjG7rnXqrOTAxVdQ6QEHenPI0oQ0NsOegQIAxAB&aep=10&ntc=1&mstk=AUtExfBgXYaawc8b_7mH0byPeAWGaSJWvSCES74f9GwHYPrzd8z5lrmqPnd2iEEabswZ9UPu3bT2U1V_0FllZxRnK4_suI8B6PQ5XmBhExSh7j2C3qYOfIWrLcgwsMKtf2OgYbc3NCPnM2cYBYsDclFLjwYbtTp0hySFNUM&csuir=1
“Can a big hippo grab an entire lion\'s head with its mouth ?
Yes, a large adult hippo is physically capable of grabbing a lion\'s
entire head in its mouth. This is possible due to their extreme anatomical features:
“While rare, such interactions have been documented. In one widely analyzed case, a lioness was filmed in a hippo\'s mouth; however, experts from National Geographic noted that if the hippo had actually closed its jaws with full force, the lioness would have been killed instantly. Instead, the lioness managed to survive with injuries.”
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POEM :
HIPPO STOMPS THE LION
1st
The hippo walk’d about with a swagger
That said that it be the king :
There be many contenders for
The crown of king :
Lions, crocodiles, hippos...
2nd
Bite force against bite force,
Jaws against jaws,
Canines against canines :
They pit their forces with confidence...
3rd
Many fight it out to the bitter end :
Many end up getting maul’d,
Their faces reformatt’d,
Their jaws crush’d,
Turn’d into some sorry state...
4th
They limp along,
They scrape along,
A shadow of their former selves :
Cut down to size :
It be a pitiless world
In the forest, in the plains,
In the savannah...
5th
Bound’d on confidently a bragging lion :
Its mane lifting and falling :
Another weapon that strikes fear :
Making the animal look bigger
That it be in reality...
6th
The very face of the lion be intimidating :
The shape of the jaws,
The unforgiving look in the eyes :
The piercing look that bodes death
To those who still want a fight...
7th
Bragging against braggart :
Lion against hippo :
A battle of giants :
Each having its own nuclear weapon :
Weapon of ultimate destruction,
Of final conquest...
8th
“Doth thou want to challenge my reign ?!”
Roars the lion, fully sure of its power.
“Be thou stupid enough to seek battle ?
Don’t thou know I be the king hereabouts ?...
9th
“Reign, my foot ! My nuke weapon
Any day stomps thine !
Careful what thou wish’st for hereabouts !
Disfigur’d could thou be any moment !
Tempt not the ultimate king :
I be the undisput’d monarch here !”
10th
A clash of giants be about to unfold :
Other smaller creatures seek refuge :
The savannah had turn’d more dangerous :
There can be only one victor :
What a battle to be fought in the plain !
11th
The hippo’s very mouth a nuke weapon be :
Unrivall’d in the animal world :
The biggest gape,
The largest width :
A bite force of some 2000
Pounds per square inch...
12th
The lion’s entire head inside the cavern fits !
Nowhere to run,
Nowhere to roar :
Only capitulation :
Nothing less !...
13th
The hippo’s mouth open’d and clos’d :
The lion be swung about mercilessly :
What a mockery for a suppos’d king :
‘Tis the hippo that be the real monarch !...
Other creatures cower’d down even more :
Hunker’d down for fear of their lives :
Rampaging monarch don’t forgive !...
14th
Suddenly, the lion was flung away,
Toss’d about like a mere toy !
In lion language it swore :
But the true monarch had triumph’d :
Even nuke weapons have grades :
There be some more deadly than others...
The lion found it out at its own expense...
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Soman Ragavan
Mauritius (Indian Ocean)
22 March, 2026
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