NUMBERS OF TORTOISES AND TERRAPINS

Numbers of Tortoises and Terrapins

In the wild are falling faster and faster

Biologists and Environmentalists

Are all predicting a Turtle disaster

HOW SINGS THE SAVAGE BEAST

 

How Sings the savage beast

With a heart full of misery

When held within the narrow

Bounds of his captivity

 

How Sings the savage beast

With a heart full of joy

When his confines evaporate

And he is as free as a boy

PANDERING

The Giant Panda
To some extent
Is the architect
Of its predicament
Its choice of habitat
And fussy diet
Contributes greatly
To its demise, I regret

SUNLIGHT DANCING

Bright sunlight dances across the open water
Glinting like diamonds in the soft march winds
The surface occasionally broken by rising fish
Far-reaching ripples expand as a splash rescinds

Without warning the morning peace is shattered
The silence broken by breeding ducks in a brace
Flying and gliding effortlessly in perfect harmony
Until clumsily hitting the water with a lack of grace

An intruder and his dog appears on the lakeside path
The alarm is raised by geese honking frantically
Adult swans noisily adopt their defensive stance
Huge wings out-spanned and charge dramatically

The once tranquil scene is lost in a cacophony
All the nesting wildfowl have now been alerted
The intruder and his dog disappear along the path
The peace returns now the danger has been averted

Bright sunlight again dances across the water
Glinting like diamonds in the soft march winds
The surface occasionally broken by rising fish
Far-reaching ripples expand as a splash rescinds

MORNING GLORY

It was in the bright spring morn
The birds awoke at crack of dawn
Though the light was still dim
They hop twixt branch and limb
Day begins with the dawn chorus
And starts the day for all of us

FALCON IN THE GARDEN

In the late summer sky
The falcon in majestic flight
Spied its unfortunate prey
Then swooped down from great height

With lightning speed
It took a pigeon on the wing
Then with much less grace and style
It performed a clumsy landing

In a quiet village garden
On the sunny patch of grass
The falcon went about its work
And performed the coup de gras

From the house a curious cat
Peered out with envious eyes
Through a window as the falcon
Devoured its pigeon prize

The cat crept through the cat flap
In its most stealthy way
The falcon though was off
But left behind its pigeon prey

The cat inspected the pigeon
Sniffed it and poked it with her paw
Found it a disappointment
And she strolled away once more

As she strolled back to the house
The falcon swooped to the ground
Snatched up his pigeon prize
Before the cat could turn around

The falcon had taken the bird
Leaving nothing in its place
Leaving only feathers on the lawnAnd a scowl on the cats face