Terrible Claw

In North America there lived
a little feathered fiend, whose name,
Deinonychus, means “Terrible Claw”
because, whilst nabbing heavy game,

it utilized its claws like sabres.
Each foot enjoyed a toenail keen
as hawthorn needles, snapping forward
like a consummate machine.

Hunting in packs for herbivores,
they’d spot one with their hawk-sharp eyes
then chase it down. A hundred million
years ago (the span defies

all comprehension) lived a creature
whose foremost feature was its toenails.
It kept them off the ground to keep
them honed. You bet they weren’t just show nails!

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Appeared in The Dirigible Balloon.