The Jungle Book

Rudyard Kipling never ever visited a jungle
His inspiration was his daughter Josephine for she
Encapsulated everything that any child could possibly
Mean to any father thus he wanted to be
Giving her a story book of unbelievable magnitude
Curious and wonderful in every high degree
Teaching her and helping her to see beyond just people
Inspiring her to wonder, helping her to see

The tragedy of Josephine was she died at the age of six
It devastated Rudyard but his jungle Book was born
I am sure he read its contents to his daughter
Well read and well travelled but very clearly torn
Up with the emotion of losing her he never
Ever really recovered though the book went on to be
Huge not only in the land where it in fact was written
The United States but everywhere people emotionally
Were Charged and now the new film at Imax cinemas everywhere
Can with the new technology draw the sounds and show
With Jon Favreau’s direction and Disney’s wealth of knowledge
New fans will be so inspired and his messages will grow

The voices and the history bring Kipling back again
His real inspiration and his marvellous imagination
Every nuance every thought his happiness and his pain
Mowgli raised by animals and the wonderful Baloo Bear
Bagheera was his mentor a Panther who did share
So much with the man cub as all the animals do
And Kipling made the point of telling children
Which is true

Its a work of inspired genius and of course technology
Has brought it through the decades to excite and to frantically
Suggest so much to children and to parents
So much more
About the beautiful animals, and of course, Natural Law
William Blake wrote. “Tyger Tyger” a century before
Its excitement and its passion I just feel very sure
Kipling must have registered him Shere khan just must be
“Burning bright as if by right and Mowgli’s adversary

Its a charming interlude for anyone to see
It plucks us up and transports us all into a fantasy
A world of how it could be how it should be which was where
Kipling wanted his daughter Josephine to share
And to be aware that animals should be an integral part
Of decisions that we make in life for they were all born of our heart.

In that sense I hope that children from 5 to a hundred and nine
Remember that every animal has its life now on our line
Each is given creative life and a family role
And each should be given our respect for the betterment of soul

Thanks to my dear friend Claudia who initially dragged me along it is a film that everyone should see