Photo by Vicky Talbot
Photo by Vicky Talbot

So, it’s Friday and I’m at Heathrow Airport after a lightning 4 day tale telling trip to Thailand sharing tales at St. Andrews International School Bangkok and Ascot International School, when I read about a fin whale washed up at Dawlish. Rush to the beach on Saturday and stand on the cliff with fellow curious spectators and a lovely lady who lends me her binoculars and catch an awesome glimpse of the hairy fibres and the long pink tongue in the mouth of this spectacular leviathan. Next day in Exeter I’m telling tales for Poppy’s fifth birthday party and learn that she and her family went to the beach on Thursday and her mum took the picture above.
Clive and Roselyne  Masselin many years ago
Clive and Roselyne Masselin many years ago

The Whale Zoo by Clive PiG & The Hopeful Chinamen

Dead Whale At Dawlish
There’s a dead whale at Dawlish
Washed up on the shore.
It might have swum the seven seas
But won’t do that no more.
Some think she bumped into a ship
But not my uncle Kenny.
He says she probably hoovered up
One plastic bag too many.
She floated and she bloated
They feared she might explode.
Her blubber and intestines
Might splatter on the road.
So the council brought in diggers
Yellow lorries and red trucks
And a man whose hat was orange
Came and cut it up
He started with the tail
That came off quite easy.
But as he sliced into the middle
It made us all feel queasy.
I’d never seen a whale before
So I stayed until the end.
It arrived on Thursday but
Disappeared over the weekend.
There was a dead whale at Dawlish
It’s not there anymore.
The leviathan has been and gone
Chopped up by a chainsaw.
© Clive PiG 01/10/2016 – 06/10/2016
It arrived on Thursday but was gone by the weekend
It arrived on Thursday but was gone by the weekend

Dead Whale At Dawlish